Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is brushing aside calls to rescind a decree under which he reserved for himself sweeping powers and insulated his office from judicial review. The November 22 power grab deepened concerns that religious extremists will use the Egyptian Arab Spring to bring the country under Islamic law, and triggered massive and ongoing protests which have left more than half a dozen dead and hundreds injured. Analysis is converging on speculation that the decree – which was followed by a rushed constitutional draft approved by the country’s Islamist-dominated constitutional assembly – will have long-term implications for Morsi’s political legitimacy.