Can't you hear the call of the minaret?
"Egypt’s future might hinge on Cairo mosque" by Griff Witte |
Washington Post, December 30, 2012
CAIRO — The revolution that began here two years ago with calls for
justice and freedom has become a rout by Islamist forces that have
racked up victory upon victory at the polls.
But within Egypt and across the region, the real source of fears that
the country is hurtling toward theocracy lies in an unlikely place: the
ancient stone corridors of al-Azhar, a Cairo mosque and university
complex that long has been known as a respected beacon of moderation.
That reputation is under threat, as more hard-line elements of
Egypt’s Islamic mosaic stage a rearguard action for control. It is a
battle that has gained newfound urgency after approval of a draft
constitution giving al-Azhar extraordinary power to pass judgment on the
religious merits of the nation’s laws.
Azhar leaders say they did not want the role but were pressured to
accept it by adherents to a puritanical, Saudi-influenced school of
Islam known as Salafism, with clout that has surged in Egypt’s newly
democratic era....
The fight about Azhar’s nature and role is one with profound
implications for Egypt, and beyond. As much as anything, the Arab
uprisings and the tumult that followed have turned on the question of
where Islam fits in society and who gets to interpret Islam.
It's intertwined in one way or another with their concept of living and you are never going to unwind it.
Azhar has played a venerated role in that debate for centuries. It is
widely considered the most distinguished center of Sunni Islamic
thought, and it annually educates millions of students, many of whom
travel here from across the globe.
At a time when more austere and intolerant forms of Islam are
ascendant, Azhar has offered an antidote, preaching pluralism, respect
for non-Islamic cultures, and rights for women and minorities.
The more and more you look at it all systems of control are the same.
Many secular and Christian Egyptians fear that a turn toward
hard-line ideology by Azhar might lead to a more rigid interpretation of
Islamic law, known as Shariah, which under both the old and new
constitutions forms the basis of Egyptian legislation. That in turn
could mean fewer freedoms for Egyptian artists and academics, restricted
rights for women in their homes, and at work, and increased blasphemy
prosecutions for perceived insults against Islam.
Like they had a whole pile under Mubarak.
The struggle for the direction of Azhar is being nervously watched by
moderate Arab leaders across the Middle East. Even government officials
who have been sympathetic with the goals of last year’s Arab Spring
protests said they worried about the potential power of a more
doctrinaire Azhar to stir up opposition to secular governments and
institutions.
‘‘The Muslim Brotherhood has been wanting for years to get a hold of
it, and once they do, moderate Islam is dead,’’ said a senior Middle
Eastern government official whose country includes millions of Sunni
Muslims.
Has to be Saudi Arabia.
The official insisted that his identity and national origin not be
identified, fearing that doing so would incite attacks by hard-line
clerics. ‘‘This is a major challenge to the region.’’
Despite its long history and reputation, Azhar was badly tainted by
its close association with a string of Egyptian autocrats, most recently
during the three-decade rule of President Hosni Mubarak.
But it was a bastion of moderation!
When Mubarak
was overthrown early last year, Azhar emerged weakened and seemingly
ripe for a takeover.
That has not happened. Grand Sheik Ahmed el-Tayib, a Mubarak
appointee, has managed to keep his job and has become a leading advocate
for using dialogue to bridge Egypt’s widening chasm between President
Mohammed Morsi and his Islamist backers on one side and the loose
coalition of liberals, leftists, and Christians who oppose him on the
other.
I am ALWAYS FOR THAT!
Critics say, however, that Tayib’s survival as grand sheik owes to his willingness to bow to the new Islamist order.
A string of firebrand preachers, including Hamas Prime Minister
Ismail Haniyeh and the hugely popular television personality Yusuf
al-Qaradawi, have used the Azhar pulpit to inveigh against Israel.
Oy vey!
This month, the Muslim Brotherhood made Azhar the scene of boisterous
funerals for members killed in clashes with secular demonstrators.
Several Middle Eastern governments expressed particular concern over
Qaradawi’s sermon, in which he denounced secular Muslim governments and
said a united Islamic nation would destroy Israel.
‘‘We tell Israel: Your days are numbered,’’ said Qaradawi, who is a
member of the senior Azhar council that will interpret the Islamic
character of Egypt’s laws. ‘‘God might leave the oppressor unpunished
for a while, but when the time of judgment comes, there will be no
escape.’’
That's a far cry from wipe off the map.
A second Middle Eastern government official said he feared that the
views of Qaradawi would eventually hold sway in Azhar, regardless of who
holds the grand sheik’s position.
‘‘Sunni Muslims will be under the influence of these voices, not just
in the Middle East but in Muslim communities in Europe and around the
world,’’ the official said.
--more--"
Nothing like a Jewish instrument interpreting Islam is there?
I'm Catholic so I guess I'll have to go to a Copt service.
