In Egypt, Islamists prepare to counter Morsi foes CAIRO - Many among the hundreds of Islamists gathered beneath a scorching sun read the Koran, marched with sticks past flags of jihad and pledged their loyalty to President Mohamed Morsi, whose rule has sharply divided the nation. Some in the crowd Saturday chanted fiery rhetoric, others wore hard hats as if awaiting battle and scores retreated to tents in the shade, where they prayed and talked politics beyond the gates of a mosque not far from the presidential palace. They all sensed that trouble was coming and that the days ahead would define the future of Egypt. I'm a veterinarian. I have my business, my family and my life. But I have come here to protect my president," said Hamada Rabie, sweat drenching his ball cap. I am not a terrorist. I am the first line of defense for Islam and for the revolution. I want a better country. Massive anti-Morsi protests expected across the nation Sunday on the first anniversary of his inauguration will be countered by rallies in support of the president and his besieged Muslim Brotherhood party. Officials fear the opposing camps will brush too close to one another and ignite factional bloodshed between Islamists and the largely secular opposition. Three people, including a 21-year-old American college student, died in clashes Friday, prompting the U.S. Embassy to evacuate some of its staff and issue a warning against traveling to Egypt. Many Egyptians have stockpiled food, guns are plentiful and vigilantes were reportedly guarding neighborhoods in a foreboding atmosphere reminiscent of the 2011 uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak. Demonstrators on both sides have been anticipating a showdown over the country's identity; long gone are the days of national cohesion that propelled the 2011 revolution and its immediate aftermath. An opposition youth movement, known as Rebel, has collected 22 million signatures calling for Morsi to step down. Anti-Morsi forces argue that the president acts like a dictator and has failed to fix the economy or bridge deep political divisions. But the men in front of the mosque praised Morsi as Egypt's first freely elected leader, saying he should be given more time to solve the many ills he inherited from Mubarak. "Morsi, Morsi, God is great!" they yelled. And, more ominously, they chanted, "We sacrifice for you, Islam." The president's legitimacy "came from the ballot box," said Amir Seidy, a technician, sitting among men holding miniature copies of the Koran. The opposition protesters are free to demonstrate, so long as it's peaceful. But why should my car be burned? Why should offices of the Muslim Brotherhood be set on fire? These troublemakers are losers in the opposition remnants of Mubarak's regime. Their path is violence," said Seidy's friend, Ahmad Abdel Qader, a teacher. We want to deliver a message that the streets are not just for the opposition but also for Morsi supporters. We have bigger numbers. Most Islamists are unified in their support for Morsi despite the varied sensibilities in their ranks, which include moderates and ultra-conservative Salafists, some of whom belonged to former terrorist groups and consider opposition protesters infidels. Most view Morsi, whose image is emblazoned on placards and T-shirts, as the man who will edge them closer to the generations-old dream of an Islamic state. "To all those who call for the president's downfall, do not provoke the Islamists or they will rise up with a true Islamic revolution," Safwat Hegazy, a prominent Brotherhood member, posted on his Facebook page. To all those who call for the president's downfall, are you the revolution's lions or Mubarak's dogs? That fervor - and the struggle it implied - was strong around the mosque, where vendors sold orange juice and chickpeas as bands of men, swinging sticks, pipes and canes, ran past loudspeakers blaring religious messages. A banner hanging over the mosque's gates showed the bloodied faces of men who Islamists claimed were killed in violence instigated by opposition forces. "We are here defending the democratic path," Qader said, "otherwise the country will end in chaos." His friend Seidy said God predicted splits in Egyptian society: "Even the Koran says there are two paths that run parallel to one another.... After the revolution alliances broke into divisions. Many of the men near the mosque had been bused in from the provinces. They said they would sleep in tents in grassy median strips on the barricaded road. Lookouts kept watch for possible provocations from anarchists and antigovernment protesters. The men said they would defend Morsi until those arrayed against him went away. "The challenge on the president is great and he hasn't been given enough time," said Qader. Special correspondent Ingy Hassieb in Cairo and Times staff writer Devin Kelly in Los Angeles contributed to this report.