Supporters of Egypt's deposed President Mohammed Morsy gather for prayers at Nasr City, where protesters have installed a camp and hold daily rallies, in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday, July 28, 2013. The military ousted Morsy, Egypt's first democratically elected president, in early July after days of mass demonstrations. Dozens of Morsy backers angry at Egypt's military-backed government have died in weekend violence in the volatile nation's capital. See photos of protests that have engulfed the country. 
A boy wears a tear gas mask as supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsy pray at the camp set up by supporters in the Nasr City area of Cairo on July 28. 
Doctors treat an injured supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy during clashes with security forces in Cairo on Saturday, July 27. 
A wounded Morsy supporter lies on the floor of a field hospital in Cairo on July 27. Thousands of Morsy supporters gathered Saturday in the Nasr City neighborhood despite dozens of deaths the night before and veiled threats from the military. 
Supporters of Morsy protest outside a field hospital in Cairo where the bodies of slain Morsy supporters have been brought July 27. 
The body of a Muslim Brotherhood protester, reportedly shot dead after violence erupted the night before, is moved as mourners watch inside a field hospital in Cairo on July 27. 
Two men mourn Morsy supporters who were killed in overnight clashes with security forces, in Cairo, on July 27. 
A medic pauses at a field hospital in Cairo on July 27 after tending to the bodies of Morsy supporters reportedly killed in fighting. 
Supporters of Morsy carry an injured man to a field hospital amid clashes with security forces in Cairo on July 27. 
Doctors treat a Morsy supporter injured during clashes with security forces in Cairo on July 27. 
Supporters of Morsy rally in Giza, on Friday, July 26. 
Supporters of the Egyptian military rally at Tahrir Square in Cairo on Friday, July 26. 
Morsy opponents rally in Cairo on July 26. 
Morsy opponents watch a demonstration from a rooftop near Tahrir Square in Cairo on July 26. 
Egyptian soldiers stand guard atop an armored vehicle on a bridge leading to Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, July 26. 
A Morsy advocate builds a giant portrait of the deposed president Thursday, July 25, while other supporters hold a sit-in outside a Cairo mosque. The military has detained Morsy while an interim government takes shape. 
Morsy supporters say evening prayers during a rally July 25 outside a Cairo mosque. 
A man with a pistol and other Morsy opponents detain a suspected Morsy supporter who was wounded during clashes in Cairo on Monday, July 22. Supporters and opponents clashed near the city's Tahrir Square. 
Men evacuate an injured opponent of Morsy during clashes with his supporters in Cairo on July 22. 
A man fires a gun during clashes between opponents and supporters of Morsy in Cairo on July 22. 
A riot police officer aims rubber bullets toward Morsy supporters in Cairo on July 22. 
Riot police evacuate an injured anti-Morsy protester in Cairo on July 22. 
A Morsy supporter, center, who was allegedly beaten by opponents of Morsy runs during clashes in Cairo on July 22. 
A Morsy opponent carries his injured friend in Cairo on July 22. 
Supporters of Morsy pause for Friday prayers on July 19 at Nasr City in Cairo, where protesters have installed their camp and held daily rallies. 
Morsy supporters take part in a protest march near government ministry buildings on Wednesday, July 17, in Cairo. 
A Morsy supporter is held back by riot police during a rally near Tahrir Square on July 17. 
A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and of Morsy covers his mouth under the 6th October Bridge in Cairo on Tuesday, July 16. 
A riot police officer fires tear gas toward Morsy supporters during clashes in Cairo on Monday, July 15. 
Morsy supporters run from tear gas in Cairo on July 15. 
Egyptians in Cairo's Tahrir Square pray before breaking their fast on the third day of Ramadan, the sacred holy month for Muslims, on Friday, July 12. 
Supporters of the deposed Morsy rally in Nasr City, Egypt, a suburb of Cairo, on Monday, July 8. 
A man reacts after seeing the body of a family member at the Liltaqmeen al-Sahy Hospital in Cairo, allegedly killed during a sit-in supporting Morsy in front of the Republican Guard headquarters on July 8. 
Injured men receive medical attention after clashes between supporters of Morsy and security forces in Cairo on July 8. 
Opponents of Mohamed Morsy gather at Tahrir Square during a protest in Cairo on Sunday, July 7. 
Supporters of Morsy pray next to the headquarters of the Republican Guards in Cairo on Saturday, July 6, during the funeral of seven people killed during clashes. 
People carry coffins on July 6 of two Morsy opponents who were killed during clashes in Cairo. 
A Morsy supporter joins protests near the University of Cairo in Giza on July 6. 
Supporters and opponents of Morsy clash in Cairo on Friday, July 5. 
A protester is attended to in Cairo's Tahrir Square during fighting between the pro- and anti-Morsy crowds on July 5. 
An Egyptian military helicopter hovers over supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and deposed President Mohamed Morsy in Cairo on July 5. 
Morsy supporters hold up their bloodstained hands after Egypt's armed forces opened fire on rally in front of the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo on July 5. 
Morsy supporters carry a man who was shot during clashes next to the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo on July 5. State broadcaster Nile TV said a number of those backing the deposed leader were wounded as they tried to storm the headquarters, where Morsy reportedly was being held. 
A wounded man is helped following the gun battle outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5. 
Egyptians hold portraits of Gen. Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi reading "Come down, Sisi" as they gather in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 5. 
Morsy supporters react to an explosion during clashes with police officers on July 5 outside Cairo University in Giza. 
Egyptian Army soldiers stand guard at the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5 as an Apache attack helicopter flies overhead. 
Morsy supporters pray near the University of Cairo in Giza on July 5. 
A man prays on July 5 before the protest near the University of Cairo. 
Protesters take cover from tear gas during clashes outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard in Cairo on July 5. 
A military helicopter flies by Egypt's Presidential Palace in Cairo on July 5. 
Egyptians watch fireworks in Tahrir Square on Thursday, July 4, the day after Morsy's ouster. 
People dance and cheer in the streets of Cairo on July 4. 
A Morsy supporter holds a poster of the deposed president during a July 4 rally in Nasr City. 
A massive crowd gathers in Tahrir Square on July 4. 
Egyptians cheer and wave national flags as airplanes fly above Tahrir Square on July 4, leaving a trail of smoke in the colors of the national flag. 
A woman uses a mobile phone to record the July 4 celebrations in Tahrir Square. 
An opposition protester chants slogans against Morsy near Cairo University, where Muslim Brotherhood supporters gathered on July 4 to show support for the ousted president. 
A man holds a newspaper near Mesaha Square in Cairo on July 4. 
Dejected Morsy supporters attend a rally in Nasr City on July 4. 
A Morsy supporter shows his bloodied shirt during a July 4 rally near the University of Cairo. 
A young Egyptian boy shoots off fireworks during celebrations in Tahrir Square on July 4. 
People walk by a pile of Egyptian flags for sale in Tahrir Square on July 4. 
Crowds throng Tahrir Square on July 4. 
Egyptian soldiers deploy near Cairo University on July 4. 
People dance and cheer at Tahrir Square in Cairo on July 4. 
Adly Mansour, center, stands after delivering a speech during his swearing-in ceremony as Egypt's interim president in the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo on July 4. Mansour has served as the head of the country's Supreme Constitutional Court. 
Armored vehicles with the Egyptian army sit at a checkpoint in the Cairo district of Nasr City on July 4. 
A Morsy supporter reacts as a military helicopter flies over during a July 4 rally in Nasr City. 
A boy with face paint the color of the Egyptian flag pauses on July 4 in Tahrir Square. 
A pedestrian shakes hands with a member of the military at a roadblock in Giza. 
Security personnel rest on July 4 in Tahrir Square. 
A man walks to Tahrir Square on July 4. 
A family sleeps on a bridge near Tahrir Square on July 4. 
A member of the Egyptian military redirects traffic on July 4 at a roadblock in Giza. 
Bread is sold near Tahrir Square on July 4. 
An Egyptian military member guards a roadblock in Giza on July 4. 
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- Ed Husain: Many Egyptian protesters believe Morsy is the legitimate president
- He says Morsy's son hinted his dad should step down, thus quelling unrest
- Husain says Morsy stepping down would give Brotherhood face-saving exit
- Husain: Brotherhood must be recognized; if Morsy goes, Egypt can move forward
Editor's note: Ed Husain is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. The author of "The Islamist" can be followed on Twitter via @Ed_Husain.
(CNN) -- For the large numbers of Egyptians protesting in the heat while starving during the Ramadan month of fasting, Mohamed Morsy is the legitimate president of Egypt. And the violent and deadly clashes between security forces and protesters in Cairo will continue and many more lives will be lost unless we recognize and address this basic grievance.
The protesters are being led by the Muslim Brotherhood. They will not abandon mass street protests, their "comfort zone" as they have said. Thousands have been injured in the past three weeks and almost a 100 people killed. Egypt's economy will continue to tank, and political instability will haunt this ancient land. So what to do?
The clue came from Morsy's son, Osama Morsy, when he was interviewed by CNN.
Osama has rallied his father's supporters through public speeches. He knows the mood at the Rabaa El-Adawiyah rally and elsewhere in Egypt. He confirmed the standard views of the Muslim Brotherhood and others who oppose the recent military coup. But then he hinted at something: "Dad, you are the legitimate leader, you are the elected leader and elected president. We back any decision you take, even if you decided to leave the office."
This might seem odd to outside observers and anti-Morsy Egyptians, but to the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's most-organized political force, Morsy is still the president of Egypt.
They still believe Morsy is in office, and unless he resigns, the protesters will not waver in their support for him. Security forces opening fire on the protesters or the military clearing the various public squares across Egypt only makes martyrs of the Muslim Brotherhood. The only way out of this impasse is for Morsy to resign from office to save Egypt from further instability and loss of life.
If Morsy were to officially resign, the Brotherhood would no longer need to rally around an individual, one of their own, who has been humiliated and mistreated. Morsy's resignation also provides the Muslim Brotherhood with a face-saving exit from its entrenched position of "Morsy is to be reinstated" during their protests. If Morsy were willing to leave office, it would also illustrate to Egyptians his desire to present further loss of life, return Egypt to civility, end the country's national disunity and allow the Brotherhood to return to the political process through elections rather than disruptive protests.
Pro-Morsy camp digs in 
Egyptians fear more bloodshed to come 
Egypt's 'third square' movement If the past five Egyptian elections are a guide, then the Muslim Brotherhood will most likely dominate future parliamentary contests.
By resigning, Morsy would strengthen the Muslim Brotherhood. Ending the emerging culture of street violence would help to discredit the military's claim that the Muslim Brotherhood is turning violent and therefore should be banned, a move that would spell disaster for Islamist political activists and fuel radicalism in the country.
In sum, the parallel universe in which the Muslim Brotherhood's leadership and supporters exist needs to be recognized. Catherine Ashton, foreign policy chief of the European Union, has sought to be of help to Egypt, but she has not offered much leadership or vision. Egyptians do not need more news conferences and hurrying through meetings to catch a flight (as Ashton did).
Cooler heads within the Muslim Brotherhood must prevail in persuading Morsy to resign. Ashton and others can be helpful in negotiating their access to Morsy.
Egyptian politics will not evolve from mass protests. Yes, Morsy deserved more time in office to rectify his errors. And yes, the coup was a tragic error. And yes, Egypt's political opposition is a shambles, the local media deeply biased, the judiciary corrupt and the military politicized.
The Muslim Brotherhood's task is not to uphold Morsy but to renew and reform Egypt's politics and economy by learning from Turkey's success. To do that, Morsy can help Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood move forward by submitting his official resignation urgently.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ed Husain.
