Former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat started working against the tide of radical Islam back in the early 1980s and was assassinated by an Iranian-backed terrorist because of it. Now, almost 30 years after the fact, Iran is again growing discontent with another Egyptian president who appears to be working against its plans for a radical Islamic caliphate.

On December 8, hundreds of Iranian students gathered in the square in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Tehran to protest Egypt’s refusal to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip. These demonstrators accused Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of collaborating with the “Zionist regime” and of betraying the world of Islam. They carried a poster of Mubarak with blood splattered on his forehead accompanied by the caption: “Hang this guy!” They also burned an Israeli flag on the ground as they chanted “Death to Israel,” “Death to America” and “Death to Mubarak.”

Leading Iranian-government newspapers have also called for the people of Egypt to rise up against their current government and follow the example of Khaled Islambouli—the man who assassinated President Sadat. Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari, who is close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, wrote in a December 2 column, “The absence of the martyr Khaled Islambouli, God bless his soul, is sorely felt. Many more should follow his example.” He went on to say that if the Egyptian people were to rise up against their regime, no one would dare oppose them.

In response to this violent rhetoric, Mubarak recalled Egypt’s diplomatic envoy from Tehran and gave a speech accusing the Iranians of trying to devour the Arab world.

Based on this information alone, it would appear as if Egyptian-Iranian relations are about to enter another cold spell.

Yet, the Iranian protest was most likely coordinated in conjunction with the radical Egyptian opposition movement known as the Muslim Brotherhood. The London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper reports that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood have been holding talks in order to organize protests against the Gaza blockade outside Egyptian embassies across the Middle East and Europe. Both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood favor the establishment of an Islamic theocracy in Egypt similar to the one ruling Iran.

Although the Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed by Mubarak’s government, it has managed to become extremely popular among the Egyptian people. Mubarak has used emergency powers and military crackdowns to keep the movement in check up to this point. If President Mubarak passes from the scene, however, the Muslim Brotherhood would likely become the dominant political force in Egypt. That is why Iranian threats against Mubarak’s life are so significant.

Biblical passages like Daniel 11:43 imply that there will soon be a far-reaching change in Egyptian politics. For more information on this coming change, read The King of the South by Gerald Flurry.