Azhar Sheikh Feels Heat After Comments Against Journalists

October 10, 2007 10:17 p.m. EST

Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - Many Egyptian intellectuals have criticized recent comments made by Mohamed Tantawy, Al Azhar's top sheikh, who gave a speech on Monday in front of president Hosni Mubarak.

In the sermon, he asked for 80 lashes to "those who spread rumors" in an indictment to the journalism crisis over the rumors of Mubarak's ill health.

Tantawy is known to be pro government with several previous political comments.

The harsh comments came as the sheikh was speaking at the celebration of the Kadr night, a holy night during the month of Ramadan. He used verses from the Qur'an that talk about the punishment of people who spread false rumors and asked for the application of the old punishment of 80 lashes for the journalists.

Ibrahim Eissa, the head editor of Al Dostour newspaper, is on trial now for his newspaper's coverage of the widely spread rumor that President Mubarak was ill or dead. Eissa, who is a strong critic of the regime, said "the case is really about settling scores with me for what I wrote before."

Currently, there are 500 cases filed against journalists that are being looked at in Egyptian courts. Nine editors and journalists are now facing jail sentences in the North African country.

On Friday, while giving another speech in front of Egypt's Prime Minister and other officials, Tantawy said that it is independent newspapers, which spread such rumors, that deserve a boycott and that it is haram, Arabic for forbidden, to buy these newspapers.

The sheikh's views opened the floodgates against him as many disagreed with the pro government politically influenced comments he made this week.

"Why didn't we hear Tantawy's opinion about torture and fraudulent elections and even when 1000 people drowned in 2005 on the Al Salam ferry? Why didn't he speak?" Amin Howaidy, a journalist and prominent thinker told Al Masry Al Youm newspaper. "We don't trust his opinions any more and his talk backfires on him because he is not honest," he added.

Yehia Khalash, Secretary General of the press syndicate told the same newspaper that "the Al Azhar sheik comments are among the organized attacks against press freedom and his comments are an international scandal by all means," he said, adding that the talk "has a political meaning and not religious."