Salafist as ِEgypt's minister of religious endowment

[Winged Isis]

Choice of Salafist as ِEgypt's minister of religious endowment provokes criticism
News that Salafist Mohamed Ibrahim has been chosen as Minister of Awqaf evokes fear of threats to Egypt's moderate religious identity
Ahram Online, Saturday 28 Jul 2012

Morsi to announce presidential team Thursday: Presidential spokesman

Egypt's new cabinet to be announced Thursday
A number of religious and political figures expressed their discontent with the appointment of Mohamed Yosri Ibrahim as minister of religious endowment – Awqaf – in the new cabinet, voicing fears that this heralds an imposition of Wahabbism, a Saudi-influenced conservative form of Islam.
According to a statement issued by a number of Sufis and moderate religious groups, the choice of Ibrahim, a member of the Salafist Dawa Party, to head the Ministry of Awqaf will negatively influence Egypt cultural and religious identity. The ministry regulates mosques and is responsible for the issuing of licenses to preachers.

In the statement the groups stressed that their efforts in fending off what they saw as a Wahhabi influence will not be limited to statements. They further accused Ibrahim of denying doctrines of Al-Azhar in his writing. Al-Azhar is widely perceived as a moderate religious institute, and the main centre of Islamic education in the world.

Mohamed Ibrahim who received his PhD from Al-Azhar revealed on Friday on his official twitter account that he accepted to head the Ministry of Awqaf following a meeting with newly appointed prime minister Hisham Qandil.

Qandil has indicated that the new cabinet will be announced on Thursday.

Islamist liberal activist Ibrahim El-Hodaiby also used his Facebook page to express his disapproval, pointing out that Ibrahim had failed to win a seat the parliamentary elections last winter when he was running on the list of Al-Asala Salafist party.

El-Hodaiby further claimed that Ibrahim's presence in both the Constituent Assembly and now his appointment as Minister of Awqaf are due to his strong relations with one of the Muslim Brotherhood's leading figures.

Meanwhile Ibrahim used Twitter to deny claims that he won the post because of his good relations with highly influential Muslim Brotherhood figure Khairat El-Shater.

El-Hodaiby also accused Ibrahim of dressing in the garb of Al-Azhar scholars, fooling people that he is a moderate man, while in fact he fights its principles and embraces Salafist ideologies.

Ibrahim confirmed his respect for the entity of Al-Azhar and the role it played in his own education, adding that sectarian differences does not mean disrespect of the other.

Former MP Mohamed Abu Hamed, known for his anti-Islamist stance, slammed the news of Ibrahim's appointment describing it as a proof of the Muslim Brotherhood's embrace of Wahhabi thinking. He predicted Wahhabi preaching will spread in mosques across Egypt. and that Wahhabi Islam does not believe in democracy and can only rule with the enforcement of fascist dictatorship.

Meanwhile, a member of the dissolved parliament Mostafa Al-Naggar who defeated Ibrahim in the last parliamentary elections congratulated him for the new post on his twitter account.

In 2011, Ibrahim was one of many Salafist preachers who claimed that a woman Camilia Shehata was kidnapped by the church for converting to Islam, feeding sectarian tensions. Salafists led a number of protests demanding the release of Shehata who later gave a televised interview refuting any claims that she had converted.


http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... igiou.aspx

[Horus]

I have no doubt that the ultimate goal is to achieve an Islamic state similar to that of Saudi Arabia and step by step and little by little it will be implemented. It is not unlike the situation that many people in the West find themselves in when they vote for one party, usually the one they consider to be the lesser of two evils because there is no one offering them the political choice they want. Only to find that the people they voted into power keep inserting other bits of legislation that they are completely opposed to and I think that may be happening in Egypt.

[LovelyLadyLux]

All along I have considered, to me, the very real possibility that Egypt will move towards a more Wahabbi type state. This is even fundamentalism in the extreme and a terrible blow to women. This is the fear I've held all along and this form of government doesn't seem to care much about human rights, civil rights, women and/or tourism at all. Be a very sad day if this happens in Egypt but I've a mind that slowly and imperceptibly Wahabbism will find its way into Egypt.

[Horus]

Especially when you consider the amount of Egyptian workers in that country and also those who visit Mecca, so it is easy to influence their beliefs and of course provide plenty of money to fund such a move.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Saudi is a prime employer of Egyptians and given the ardent Wahabbi there am quite sure they will have no hesitation to convert their Islamic Egyptian brothers to a more fundamental way of life.

Truly I have no angst with any of the world's mainstream religions but 'any' religion that starts to move to the extreme doesn't necessarily meet and fulfill the needs of mainstream populations.