Monday, December 28, 2015

"Remarkable Moment"" Egyptian President Al-Sisi Exhorts Al-Azhar Graduates to Practice and Teach Tolerance



From Gates of Vienna:
MEMRI video shows excerpts from an address given last week by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to an audience at Al-Azhar University in Cairo on the occasion of Mohammed’s birthday. 
Gen. el-Sisi takes the opportunity to send Christmas greetings to Christians among his fellow countrymen. He calls for true religious freedom in Egypt, where citizens should be free to choose their religion without fear of physical or social coercion. 
He tells the clerics in his audience that this is the message they should preach from the pulpits of their mosques. Watch as the camera pans across the audience, and you’ll see a lot of hats that look like truncated Santa Claus caps. These are badges of office worn by scholars who have been certified in their Islamic studies by Al-Azhar University, the most prestigious academic institution in Islam. 
What President el-Sisi is telling them is contrary to the “consensus of the scholars”, that is, to more than a thousand years of universally accepted Islamic principle and praxis. 
What he is calling for is, in effect, the rewriting of the basis of Islamic law. And his words are being spoken in the heart of Islamic scholarship and jurisprudence. It’s a remarkable moment:

4 comments:

Pete Rowe said...

We need to remember that al-Sissi was not Obama's man as he continues to more for peace and order than any other Arab leader today.

Anonymous said...

I only hope he will not meet the same fate that befell Sadat. He is looking for more than peace. He is openly trying to reform Sunni thought. Not an easy or forgivable thing to to.

Always On Watch said...

Anonymous,
I only hope he will not meet the same fate that befell Sadat.

My first thought, too, upon reading this blog post.

Ciccio said...

I have just been blown out of my socks. The Pope could have delivered this speech.This is the very first time I have heard this from a Sunni Muslim in power.