Desk Report,
Sisi’s government pressured Al-Azhar Imam to withdraw anti-Israel statement
The Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University was pressured by the country’s presidency to withdraw a statement condemning Israel, which was later retracted, two sources told Middle East Eye.
Sisi’s government pressured Al-Azhar Imam to withdraw anti-Israel statement
Cairo-based Al-Azhar University condemned Israel’s “starvation of Palestinians in Gaza” as “genocide.” The Egyptian presidency pressured Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, to retract it.
Al-Azhar University said on Wednesday it had withdrawn a strongly worded statement calling for action to address the plight of starving Palestinians in Gaza, saying it could affect ceasefire talks.
Al-Azhar said on Wednesday it had withdrawn a strongly worded statement calling for action to address the plight of starving Palestinians in Gaza. The reason given was that the statement could affect the ongoing Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks. The university authorities also said that they withdrew the statement themselves because of the fear that it would affect the ongoing ceasefire talks in Gaza. This was done considering the protection of innocent lives.
Al-Azhar authorities claim that they attach the highest importance to stopping the daily bloodshed in Gaza. They hope that through these talks, the bloodshed will stop quickly and the most urgent needs of the oppressed Palestinians will be met.
Why is the voice being silenced? It is completely unfair to delete the statement that Al-Azhar issued to awaken the conscience of the people to save Gaza… This is a desperate attempt to silence the voice of humanity and religious conscience in this time of silence and consensus.
—Al-Qaradaghi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars
The statement condemning Israel was released by Al-Azhar University on Tuesday. Two sources from Al-Azhar and the Egyptian presidential office told Middle East Eye that the statement was removed shortly after it was published at the request of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s office. The two sources declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
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Al-Azhar authorities have also blamed third countries for the events in Gaza. They have described the situation in Gaza as “complete genocide”.
It is rare for Al-Azhar authorities to issue statements about Israel. And they have been more cautious since the Israeli attacks on Gaza began.
Al-Azhar authorities claim that their top priority is to stop the daily bloodshed in Gaza. They hope that through this dialogue, the bloodshed will quickly stop and the most urgent needs of the oppressed Palestinians will be met.
Ali al-Qaradaghi, head of the Islamic organization ‘International Muslim Scholars Union’, condemned the removal of the statement as ‘unjust’.
In a post on the social media platform X, al-Qaradaghi wrote, ‘Why are voices being silenced? Deleting the statement that Al-Azhar called on people’s consciences to protect Gaza is completely unjust… This is a desperate attempt to silence the voice of humanity and religious conscience in this time of silence and consensus.’ The statement was removed at a time when some rights activists in the Netherlands have chained themselves to the gates of the Egyptian embassy in the country. They are protesting the closure of Egypt’s border with Gaza. Egyptian rights activist Anas Habib released a video of himself walking towards the embassy building in The Hague on Monday. He called President Sisi’s government “cruel and deceitful.”
