In Advance Of Orthodox Easter In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood And Salafis Issue Fatwas Forbidding Greeting Copts On Their Holidays.

In Advance Of Orthodox Easter In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood And Salafis Issue Fatwas Forbidding Greeting Copts On Their Holidays.(Memri).

In advance of Orthodox Easter, which will be celebrated by Egypt's Copts in early May 2013, fatwas have been issued by a Muslim Brotherhood (MB) official and by officials in Egypt's Salafi stream forbidding Muslims from greeting Christians on their religious holidays. It should be mentioned that these fatwas are a departure from the practice of past MB leaders, who sent greeting cards to the Patriarch and Coptic figures on their holidays, including Easter, and dispatched representatives to greet Copts in churches.

Representatives of Egypt's religious establishment expressed a different opinion. The mufti of Egypt ruled that Muslims are not forbidden from greeting "their fellow humans" unless their celebration is contrary to Islamic shari'a. The sheikh of Al-Azhar visited Coptic Patriarch Tawadros and greeted him on the upcoming Easter. Also, a member of Al-Azhar's Academy of Islamic Research stressed that Islam permits greeting Copts on Easter, since Muslims believe in all the prophets and messengers.

Fatwas forbidding greeting Christians sparked criticism among the Coptic minority in Egypt as well, and especially among those opposing the MB rule, who pointed out their hypocrisy. Columnists in newspapers associated with the Egyptian opposition claimed that the shift in the MB's position is colored by political interests, and warned that these fatwas could splinter Egyptian society and lead it to its doom.

It should be mentioned that Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi was invited to the official Easter ceremony to be held by the Church on May 5, 2013. The presidential spokesman announced that the presidency would send representatives to the ceremony, but did not note what level of representatives. He added that the presidency typically sends representatives to such events, and President Mursi does not wait for fatwas to decide whether or not to attend Easter celebrations.

Fatwas Forbidding Wishing Christians Well On Their Holidays

Member Of MB General Guide's Office: Greet Christians Only On Christmas, Not Easter

In late April 2013, 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Barr, a member of the MB general guide's office, who is often referred to as the movement's mufti, issued a fatwa forbidding Muslims from greeting Christians on their religious holidays. Al-Barr told the Egyptian daily Al-Yawm Al-Sabi' on April 28, 2013 that according to the shari'a, Copts must not be greeted for religious ceremonies that contravene the principles of the Muslim faith, and stressed that it is forbidden to greet Copts on the upcoming Easter. He added that it is permitted to greet Copts on everyday occasions, but not religious occasions.

Al-Barr stressed that Easter is contrary to the Muslim faith in the sense that "Jesus did not die and was not crucified, but rather Allah gave him protection from the Jews and raised [Jesus] up to Him... which is why we do not greet anyone for something we strongly believe is wrong. This does not contradict the right of our partners in the homeland to believe what they want or do what they want..." He added that it is permitted to greet Christians on Christmas, or for Muslims to greet non-Muslims with the commonly expressed "May you have a good year."

It should be mentioned that Al-Barr's position contradicts the fact that MB heads of the past used to send greeting cards to the Coptic Patriarch and Coptic figures on their holidays, including Easter. Thus, for example, the previous MB general guide, Mohammed Mahdi 'Akef, and his deputy Khairat Al-Shater – who is also deputy to the current general guide, Dr. Muhammad Badi' – sent Easter greeting cards to Patriarch Shenouda III on April 23, 2006. Former MB general guide Muhammad Ma'mun Al-Hudaybi also sent an Easter greeting card to the patriarch in 2004 as well.

Salafi Front Spokesman: A Muslim Man Married To A Christian Woman Cannot Greet His Wife

The Salafi Front, a Salafi stream known to be close to the MB, also ruled that it is forbidden to greet the Copts on their religious holidays, and even called Muslims who go to churches to greet the Copts on their holidays "sinners." The Salafi Front's ruling was harsher and more sweeping; in contrast to the MB, the Salafi Front argued that the ban on greeting Copts applied also to Christmas.

Salafi Front political bureau member Khaled Al-Masri told the Egyptian daily Al-Yawm Al-Sabi' on April 28, 2013 that a distinction should be made between greetings on religious holidays and greetings on social occasions: "Greeting Copts on their religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter is forbidden by the shari'a, and there is a religious consensus on this... because greeting on these holidays means you recognize holidays you do not believe in, so on what basis do you greet them?" He added: "On social occasions, whether in times of joy like weddings or times of grief like the death of a loved one, it is permitted to comfort and greet them."

Salafi Front spokesman Dr. Hisham Kamal told Egypt's Al-Tahrir TV that even a Muslim married to a Christian or Jewish woman cannot greet his wife on her holidays, and that it is even permissible for him to prevent her from participating in these holidays.Read the full story here.