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Al Azhar»
Egypt»
Muhammad Zoghbi»
Muslim Brotherhood
if all of these official clerics are declared to be corrupt instruments of the old regime and are thrown out of office, the Brotherhood will control "Islam" in Egypt. Equally important, they will control a vast amount of patronage and money. Every cleric will have to get along with them or be unemployed. They could authorize which mosques could open. They would control religious education.
here is what Muhammad Zoghbi of the Brotherhood says:
"Al-Azhar was subjected to...the politicization of the positions of the sheikh of Al-Azhar and the mufti of Egypt, as well as the position of the minister of religious endowments. These positions must be filled through elections. By no means should these officials be appointed by the president....
"Therefore I say to the 'sons' of Al-Azhar: Let us all join the campaign, led by Sheik Khaled Al-Gindi, until we liberate Al-Azhar, just like Egypt was liberated....The president of Egypt must be subordinate to Al-Azhar and respect it....
"Therefore, I say to the sheikh of Al-Azhar...resign immediately....The mufti and the minister of religious endowments should step down, leaving their positions to God-fearing imams...."
"God-fearing" imams means Muslim Brotherhood cadre. The president of Egypt "must be subordinate" to al-Azhar means an Islamist state. This strategy also suggests that the Brotherhood is recognizing that it will not choose Egypt's next president--who is more likely to be the nationalist Amr Moussa--so it must start building an independent base of support outside of the government's and president's control for its long march toward Islamism at a later date.
