Thousands of Egyptians gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on July 29 to show Islamists and others were united in wanting change, though divisions remain on how hard to press the military rulers about the pace and depth of reforms. Muslim chants such as “There is no God but God” and “Islamiya, Islamiya” dominated. Some waved banners saying “Islamic Egypt.” A senior Muslim Brotherhood official described the rally as a “Friday of unity of all political forces.” Some protesters chanted “People and army, hand in hand.”
The Brotherhood and other Islamists had joined a big rally with other groups on July 8 demanding a deeper purge of officials who served under ousted President Hosni Mubarak and swifter corruption trials. Islamists said they wanted to give the army time to respond. Other groups, such as the April 6 movement, have kept up the pressure with some camping out in Tahrir. “We are glad political forces are showing a united front at this critical juncture in the revolution,” Mohamed Adel, spokesman for April 6 said ahead of the rally.