Jumbo Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 As hard as it is to keep government and religion as "separate" as we do in the USA (and noting either topic by itself yields sufficient passionate dissension between people) it's just that much more a mess when the two are even more entwined. http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-bans-unlicensed-preachers-tightens-grip-mosques-164548292.html CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has banned unauthorized preachers from giving sermons or teaching Islam in mosques and other public places, according to a decree on Saturday marking a further step in official efforts to curb Islamist influence. The decree issued by interim President Adly Mansour's office also threatened fines and jail for freelance imams, especially if they wore clerical garments associated with the respected Al-Azhar center of Sunni learning in Cairo. Selected employees of the religious endowments ministry will be empowered by the justice ministry to arrest anyone caught violating the decree, it added. "No preacher will mount a minbar next Friday without a permit," the ministry said on its Facebook page, referring to the traditional raised pulpit in a mosque. The decision was taken to "preserve national security," it said. The military-backed government sees mosques as recruiting grounds for Islamist parties and has moved to bring them under tighter control since the army toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last July. It said in April it had licensed more than 17,000 state-approved clerics to give Friday sermons to stop mosques from falling "into the hands of extremists." It also disclosed it had removed 12,000 unapproved preachers. Many Egyptians pray at small neighborhood mosques beyond the control of the state, where outsiders can easily move in to take over and preach their brand of Islam. <edit> According to the decree, "only designated specialists at the Ministry of Religious Endowments and authorized preachers from al-Azhar shall be permitted to practice public preaching and religious lessons in mosques or similar public places." <edit> The religious endowments ministry has been keeping a close eye on authorized imams as well. The state news agency MENA reported on Saturday that it had removed three government appointed imams from their positions in Minya province. Accused of mixing religion and politics, the men will be switched to administrative jobs and be banned from giving Friday sermons, it said. more at link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Daily Show had a segment, recently, on the government of Egypt banning people satiring the government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Ya, watched DS the other day when Gigi came on talking about how they're locking up and banning protesting again. Its tough listening to her talking about how she felt there was more freedom under Morsi then there is now. Haven't heard anything about how the process has been going for people actually applying for permits to protest in public venues in Eygpt (which we do here). Stuff like the OP, I get where their government is coming from, even if I'm on the fence with the tactics and some of their more aggressive policies. I still feel they're better off then when Mabarak was in power, even if it isn't all rich and gravy. But part of me wishes they had just held out and voted Morsi out of office instead of being okay with the military getting rid of him (or even found some legal grounds to impeach him). As bad as Bush was, I cannot imagine how twisted our future would've been if our military decided to just throw him in jail mid-term. I may not have all the facts on why they felt legally justified, but I guess we're gonna have to just chill out and see what happens. Democracy needs patience in order to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Yeah, I really really hope that these restrictions are temporary, state of emergency, type things, that will be lifted once there's some order and stability. But yeah, when things like these are first imposed, it's real tough to tell the difference between that, and Stalin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 In the words of Fouad Ajami -Egyptians will rue the day they asked the military to take back the government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Well, they (the military) did it once. And they handed power over, peacefully, to the duly elected government. The Muslim Brotherhood, who the military really didn't like. So, I suppose it's possible that they'll do it again. (Of course, it's also possible that the military has decided that handing over power is a mistake that shouldn't be repeated). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 http://bigstory.ap.org/article/egypts-el-sissi-sworn-president EGYPT'S EL-SISSI: NO RECONCILIATION WITH ISLAMISTS Egypt's newly sworn-in president vowed Sunday that there would be no reconciliation with anyone who had "committed crimes" or "adopted violence" against Egyptians, a thinly veiled reference to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was addressing a gathering at a Cairo presidential palace hours after he was sworn in as Egypt's president before the Supreme Constitutional Court. The 59-year-old career soldier did not mention the Muslim Brotherhood by name or supporters of the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, the president he ousted in July after just a year in office. Since Morsi's ouster, authorities have staged a massive crackdown against the Brotherhood and other Islamists, killing hundreds and jailing close to 20,000 others. The government has banned the Brotherhood and labeled it a terrorist organization. Islamic militants have in the meantime stepped up attacks against troops and police in the strategic Sinai Peninsula after Morsi's ouster and later took their campaign to the mainland. "There will be reconciliation between the sons of our nation except those who had committed crimes against them or adopted violence," el-Sissi said. "There will be no acquiescence or laxity shown to those who resorted to violence." El-Sissi also vowed to fight corruption at all levels and appeared to make an overture to the pro-democracy and secular youths, many of whom boycotted last month's presidential election. They accuse the new president of reviving Mubarak's police state, pointing to a law passed last year that restricts protests as well as the jailing of a number of well-known activists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/23/us-egypt-jazeera-britain-idUSKBN0EY14Q20140623 UK summons Egyptian ambassador over jailed Al Jazeera journalists Britain said on Monday it was summoning the Egyptian ambassador to protest over what it said was the "appalling" sentencing of three Al Jazeera journalists to seven years in jail. A court in Cairo on Monday found the trio guilty of charges which included helping a "terrorist organization" by spreading lies in a case that has raised questions about Egypt's respect for media freedoms. Two British journalists were among 11 others sentenced in absentia to 10 years. "I am appalled by the guilty verdicts handed down today against Egyptian and international journalists in Egypt," Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement. "I am particularly concerned by unacceptable procedural shortcomings during the trial process, including that key prosecution evidence was not made available to the defense team. Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of a stable and prosperous society." Hague said that British ministers and diplomats would urge the Egyptian Government to review the case "as a matter of urgency" and that Britain's views would be made known to the Egyptian ambassador in a meeting on Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 And now they're arresting and sentencing respectable journalists. Would even Mubarak have done such? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Yeah, I really really hope that these restrictions are temporary, state of emergency, type things, that will be lifted once there's some order and stability. But yeah, when things like these are first imposed, it's real tough to tell the difference between that, and Stalin. Its usually hard to back off them also. Something about the corrupting influence of absolute power... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEANDWARF Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Here's a hypothetical question, can this happen in the U.S.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Here's a hypothetical question, can this happen in the U.S.? Well, like many analogies, it depends on how closely something has to match, to count. Look at Lincoln, and i think you can at least make a case that it already has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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