Over a billion Muslims around the world are preparing to observe the holiest month of the year, Ramadan. And whilst many plan to schedule themselves in mosques during Ramadan’s final ten days in devotion to their creator, Egypt’s coup regime has taken the unprecedented step of restricted this act of worship known as I’tikahf.
The ban covers all Egyptians citizens apart from religious leaders appointed by the ‘ministry of Endowments’ who must be graduates of Al-azhar university critics have cited this as part of a systematic campaign against religious activity and gatherings that may spur revolutionary sentiment against a regime that has killed and imprisoned thousands since it took office from an elected government on the back of a military coup.
In another unique move, the Ministry banned the use of external loudspeakers during the nightly ‘Tarawiih’ prayers, justifying the ban by claiming it will disturb the concentration of students currently preparing for their final exams, despite the vast majority of students attending night prayer themselves.
Representatives of the Ministry of Endowments have been falling over each other to gain the pleasure of the coup regime’s head who in 2015 demanded Muslims to “adapt their religious discourse to the present and eliminate elements of their rhetoric that could foster violence”.
In their believed interpretation of this ‘injunction’, state sponsored leaders of al-azhar have sought to remove classification such as ‘disbelievers’ from being levelled at Christianity and other religions, ‘sheikh’ Salam Abdul Jalil, former Waqt undersecretary was recently banned from delivering sermons by the Ministry of Endowments for classifying Christians as ‘unbelievers’.
Subsequently Al-Mihwar TV further ended all contractual obligations with the ‘ Sheikh’.
Ironically, the Sheikh issued a ‘fatwa’ in May ordering the burning of the Quranic tafsir (explanation) by the renowned theologian Sayyid Qubt, ‘In the Shade of the Qur’an’, in the ‘ Sheikh’ attempts to address Al-sisi’s orders.
Egyptians have picked up on the disarray inflicting the politicised religious establishment, as Egypt falls further into further political and economic ‘ freefall’.
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