Video - French Imam Mohamed Khattabi Discusses "Man-Made" French National Anthem: The Quran Is Our Anthem, Our Identity, Our Constitution.

Video - French Imam Mohamed Khattabi Discusses "Man-Made" French National Anthem: The Quran Is Our Anthem, Our Identity, Our Constitution. (Memri).

In a recent Friday sermon in Montpellier, France, Imam Mohamed Khattabi countered criticism of Muslims who do not know the words of "La Marseillaise," and asked: "We are supposed to prefer man-made words over words conveyed by God?!"

He further said: "[The Quran] is our anthem, our identity. It has been said that the Quran is our constitution." the sermon was delivered on January 1, 2016 and posted on the Internet. For excerpts from other sermons by Khattabi, see MEMRI TV clips 5236 and 5164.

Related:

Salafi-jihadi sheikh Abu Mundhir Al-Shinqiti said: "Sheikh Hazem [Abu Isma'il] will never be able to implement Allah's shari'a by means of these elections that perpetuate democracy, and I believe that many of the sheikhs who ruled [that people must] vote for him would agree with us that democracy and Islam are incompatible."

Democracy Stipulates that Man Is Above Allah – Which Is Blatant Heresy; However, Adopting Some of the Mechanisms that Democracy Uses Is Not Heresy "

Video - Chechen President Kadyrov: We Will Annihilate Terrorists Returning to Russia and Chechnya from Syria.

Chechen President Kadyrov: We Will Annihilate Terrorists Returning to Russia and Chechnya from Syria.

Following are excerpts from an interview with Chechen Republic President Ramzan Kadyrov, which aired on Sky News Arabia on April 6, 2013.

Interviewer: According to some reports from Syria, there are Chechens fighting against the Syrian government. What do you know about this?

Ramzan Kadyrov: If there had been real [Chechen] fighters operating in Syria, it would have been an entirely different story. But all that has been said about this is not true.

There are only some criminals who were gathered in Turkey by a former leader of the so-called "Shari'a Court of Ichkeria." True, he is a Chechen national, but he was banished from our country, because he distorts the image of Chechnya, by recruiting mercenaries who have nothing to do with our people or our religion. He gives them thousands of dollars and the opportunity to loot and pillage there. If Chechens were really fighting there, the entire world would know about it.

These people have no goal. They are distorting Islam and do not represent Chechnya.

[…]

Interviewer: Are you concerned that these people might return to Chechnya or Northern Caucasus?

[…]

Ramzan Kadyrov: I have devoted my life to the persecution of these devils. There more they are – the better for me. The Prophet Muhammad commanded us to punish people like them. They say that I am a hypocrite and an apostate, even though I have a beard. How can they claim to be fighting for Islam, when they do not know [what it is]?

If these devils appear in Russia, I will personally lead the operation of annihilating them.

Traditional Islam is about the Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad. This is what we were brought up to believe, and it will remain so forever. Other currents, like the Wahhabis or the Salafis, are un-Islamic innovations, as far as we Chechens are concerned, and they have no place in Chechnya or Russia in general.

They are evil, and they betray the teachings of Islam, as well as the commands of Allah and His Prophet. They are like devils, who must be annihilated. We will not allow them to appear in our republic or in Russia. Despite all their activities, they will lose in the end.

I would like very much for Russia and Chechnya to have good relations with Abu Dhabi and the rest of the Arab world. President Putin supports the Arab world. Since 26 million Muslims live in Russia, it is only logical for Russia to become an ally of the Arabs. Therefore, we will not be intimidated by Europe and the West. We will refrain from buying unnecessary good from them, including weapons.

I believe that the Arabs are very smart. They are even smarter than the Jews. They will make the right choice. Source: Memri.

Video - Egyptian Islamist Politician Hussam Abu Al-Bukhari: The Founders of America Would Eat the Flesh of the Indians

Egyptian Islamist Politician Hussam Abu Al-Bukhari: The Founders of America Would Eat the Flesh of the Indians.

Following are excerpts from an address by Egyptian Islamist politician Hussam Abu Al-Bukhari, which was posted on the Internet on March 4, 2013.

Hussam Abu Al-Bukhari: We are completely unaware that we are in a real conflict – a religious conflict, a cultural conflict, a conflict over countries, over values, over everything.

Since we are talking about America, we should consider how it came into being. America was founded through the genocide of the indigenous people of North America, South America, and Australia. American civilization was founded only after their complete annihilation.

I’ve brought a very important book with me, titled America: The Cultural Genocides. It by is Munir Akash. This book discusses the genocides, providing documentation about its different types. It discusses the genocide of the people they named “Indians.” They killed hundreds of millions.

An entire chapter in this book is devoted to the eating of the flesh of the Indians. It is an entire chapter on how the Americans – or the British immigrants, who were referred to as “pilgrims” – would kill the Indians and then eat them – cooked, barbequed, made into kebabs, you name it… Not just that, sometimes they would killed them for the purpose of eating them.

[…]

Dr. Akash quotes studies from British, Australian, and American universities, showing that since Columbus and to this day, not a single document has proven that the indigenous people were cannibals. On the contrary, the cannibalism emerged from English culture. There were books explaining how to eat human flesh. Source: Memri.

Elections violate Islamic Law: Egypt's Salafist leader and brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman El-Zawahiri.

Elections violate Islamic Law: Egypt's Salafist leader and brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman El-Zawahiri.(AO).
Mohamed El-Zawahiri, prominent Salafist leader and brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman El-Zawahiri, declared on Monday that democratic elections violated Islamic Law since they put "sovereignty in the hands of the people and not God."
In an interview with Turkish news agency Anadolu, El-Zawahiri stressed his rejection of "the secular system and its mechanisms." He went on to call for the implementation of "true Sharia [Islamic Law] as based on genuine religious texts."
He added that he would not give in to current political realities or abandon his principles, which, he said, he planned to promote among the public.

"Based on past experience, and as seen in several countries, elections do not lead to the application of Islamic Law," he asserted.
He noted, however, that Egypt's current system of governance under President Mohamed Morsi was "much better than before," as there was now much greater scope for preaching and expressing one's opinion than there was under the former regime.

"But the current situation is still far from what we dream of," El-Zawahiri added.
El-Zawahiri's statements come ahead of Egypt's second post-revolution parliamentary elections, slated to kick off on 22 April, with the candidacy registration period set to begin on Saturday.

In 1999, Mohamed El-Zawahiri was sentenced to death in absentia for a handful of terrorist attacks in Egypt, including the 1997 killing of 62 foreign tourists in the Upper Egyptian city of Luxor.

Having been extradited from the UAE the same year, he was released in March 2011 as part of an amnesty extended to political prisoners by the ruling military council. He was re-arrested by authorities a few days later.Read the full story here.

Egypt, 2012: The Year In Fatwas.

Egypt, 2012: The Year In Fatwas.(MiddleEastForum).By Raymond Ibrahim. FrontPageMagazine.com. January 31, 2013.


In previous decades in Egypt, the fatwas, or legal decrees issued by learned Muslims and based on Sharia law, revolved around questions like proper prayer, when and where women should wear the hijab, and if smoking was forbidden or permissible.
That was then.
The fatwas issued in the year 2012—the year when Islamists, spearheaded by the Muslim Brotherhood, assumed formal power—are, as one would expect, markedly different, that is, much less restrained. The popular Egyptian Arabic website El-Watan News recently compiled a list of 2012's most "notable" (a euphemism) fatwas. I translate a summary of their findings below, augmented with additional observations:
Destruction of the Pyramids and Sphinx
In November, Sheikh Murjan Salem al-Jawhari, a Salafi leader, called for the destruction of all idols, relics, and statues in Egypt, specifically mentioning the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids. He called on Muslims to destroy such "idols" just as they destroyed the Buddha statues in Afghanistan. Of course, several months earlier, in July, I reported how several prominent Islamic clerics were calling on President Morsi to "destroy the Pyramids and accomplish what the Sahabi Amr bin al-As [the first Muslim invader of Egypt] could not." Then and now, the MSM scoffed at the very idea, portraying it as a "hoax." To date, reports from Egypt confirm that "some of the statues have already been destroyed by those belonging to the political Islamist parties."
Marrying Minors (i.e., Pedophilia)
Dr. Yassir al-Burhami, Vice President of the Salafi Da'wa movement, and thus an authoritative figure among Egypt's Salafis, who are playing a prominent role in the nation's new parliament, opposed setting a minimum age in the new constitution concerning the marriage of minor girls, saying "they can get married at any time," and insisting that Sharia law is clear on this matter. Indeed, earlier, another cleric and member of Saudi Arabia's highest religious council, after saying that girls can be married "even if they are in the cradle," explained the fundamental criterion of when they can copulate: whenever "they are capable of being placed beneath and bearing the weight of the men," which has less to do with age and more to do with individual capacity.
Permitting Lies and Hypocrisy
Dr. Yassir al-Burhami also permitted wives to "lie to their husbands" about their whereabouts—if they were going to go and vote "yes" on the Sharia-heavy constitution in Egypt, and if their husbands would otherwise have disapproved. The ever-expedient Salafi leader also permitted Egypt to borrow money from the IMF, rationalizing the "forbidden" interest rate away as "administrative charges." (Islam forbids Muslim participation in monetary loans that charge interest, as does the IMF.)
Scrapping Camp David Accords
Sheikh Hashem Islam, member of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, said that the peace treaty with Israel contradicts the teachings of Sharia and should be annulled, quoting the Koran: "So do not weaken and call for peace while you are superior; and Allah is with you and will never deprive you of [the reward of] your deeds" (47:35). He added that "Jews cannot be trusted." The Islamic logic he and others use is that peace treaties with infidels are legitimate only when Muslims are weak and in need, whereas now that Egypt is under proper Muslim leadership, Allah will help it to defeat Israel.
Killing Anyone Protesting Islamization of Egypt
Sheikh Hashem Islam also permitted the killing of anti-Islamization protesters, portraying them as traitors committing "high treason." The Sheikh also exempted the murderers from having to pay the restitution required by Sharia to a Muslim victim's family. Sheikh Wagdi Ghoneim issued a similar fatwa, proclaiming any Muslim who rejects the Sharia-heavy constitution of being an apostate who must be fought and killed.
Obeying President Morsi
Sheikh Ahmed Mahlawi, the leader of an Alexandrian mosque, denounced all Muslims opposed to President Morsi, pointing out that the Koran declares it to be forbidden to disobey those in authority: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger [Muhammad] and those in authority among you" (4:59). He added that Morsi should be obeyed whether he was elected or not—as long as he enforces the laws of Allah. In fact, according to Sharia, the Islamic ruler must always be obeyed—except whenever he fails to enforce Sharia.
Banning Greeting Christians
The Committee for Rights and Reform issued a Fatwa against congratulating Christian Copts on their religious holidays, notably Christmas and Easter, since Muslims do not share the beliefs specific to those holidays. As for the ever-reliable Salafi Sheikh Burhami, he further forbade Muslim cab and bus drivers from transporting Christian priests to their churches, which he depicted as "more forbidden than taking someone to a liquor bar."
Banning Saluting the Egyptian Flag
Abd al-Akhir Hamad, the mufti of the notorious Gama'a Islamiya (Islamic Group), denounced and forbade the saluting of the flag and the Egyptian national anthem, saying that doing so glorifies that which is other than Allah—not to mention music is simply "haram," that is, forbidden. Dar Al-Ifta' issued a counter-fatwa to allow for saluting the flag and standing up for the national anthem.
Banning TV Shows Mocking Political Islamists
A fatwa banning TV viewers from watching the very popular shows of Bassem Yusif, who routinely mocks Egypt's Islamists and their fatwas, appeared and was originally attributed to Dar Al-Ifta', though it later denied issuing it.
Banning Marriage to Mubarak-Regime "Remnants"
Sheik Omar Stouhi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Islamic Da'wa at Al-Azhar, forbade all Muslim women from marrying any of the sons of the "remnants" of the old regimes, portraying them as non-pious Muslims.
Banning Joining the Dustor Political Party
Sheikh Muhammad Nazmi issued a ban on people from joining Egypt's Dustor political party, headed by Dr. Muhammad al-Baradei, saying that the latter is a secularist and opposed to the implementation of Allah's laws.

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free mef mailing listThis text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete AND ACCURATE information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL.

Live Updates: Clashes as tens of thousands flood Tahrir Square to mark Egypt's revolution.

Live Updates: Clashes as tens of thousands flood Tahrir Square to mark Egypt's revolution.(AO).

16:40 Prominent Egyptian author Ahdaf Soueif chats to Ahram Online's Sarah El-Rashidi on Tahrir Square.

“I am here to keep the pressure on and for social justice for the Egyptian people,” she says.

16:35 Meanwhile moving north to Alexandria, Ahram Online’s Yasmine Fathi says hundreds of protesters are marching towards Sidi Gaber district, another popular place in the coastal city for protests.

16:30 In response to news the Shubra march was attacked under the building of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Ikhwan Online, the Islamist group say it was in fact a “third attempt to raid their offices”.

Rather than the Brotherhood being responsible for throwing rocks and glass at the protesters heading for Tahrir, they say a battle is currently ensuing between residents of Tawfiqya and a masked group. Both groups, the Islamist group added, are firing birdshot and molotov cocktails at each other.

Ahram Online journalist Mostafa Ali at the scene says he can hear heavy gunfire and can see 100s of protesters from the Shubra march surrounding the Brotherhood building, they appear to be under fire from unknown assailants.

The rest of the Shubra march continued on to Tahrir Square.

16:15 The police have been ordered to deal with protesters "firmly" as they have recieved reports that groups will try to storm the court building, Head of Alexandria's Investigative Police Nasser El-Abd told Ahram Online’s Ahmed Eleiba. He added that the police have orders to stand their ground against any attempts to enter or damage state buildings.

Clashes continue in Egypt's coastal city between the security forces and protesters outside of the Alexandrian governorate building.

16:10 Assailants armed with stones and glass attacked the Shubra march from the roof of Each Way hotel at Al-Tawfikya market near the High court, says Ahram Online reporter Hossam El-Hamalawy from the rally.

“We can hear shots, we don’t know if its bird shot or live ammunition,” El-Hamalawy confirmed.

Eyewitnesses accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of initiating the violence, however others suggest it is part of a vendors fight.

Ahram Online’s El-Hamalawy says the attack originated from the bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website Ikhwan Online, right next to the Tawfikya market, when they started throwing stones at protesters. Ikhwan Online’s office was allegedly attacked last night.

16:00 The Ministry of Interior has issued a warning to protesters engaging the police, on its official Facebook page:

“Dear revolutionaries, you have the right to protest, express your opinion as much as you want. There will be no hostility between you and us as long as you refrain from any sabotage or attacks on police establishments"

15:55 Passing by state-owned Al-Gomhorya newspaper, protesters in the Shubra march chant against "the misleading media" as they reach Ramsis Street on their journey to Cairo's Tahrir.

15:50 Meanwhile back in Tahrir, Ahram Online’s Ekram Ibrahim catchs up with activist and co-founder of the No To Military Trials For Civilians campaign Mona Seif.

"I think the turnout of protesters is good. I am here mainly because our social justice demands have yet to be fulfilled - the government is instead adopting the line of not caring."

15:45 Violence spreads across the country as clashes erupt in Suez between hundreds of protesters and security forces at the governorate headquarters.

Medhat Eissa of the Suez Revolutionary Bloc told Ahram Online security forces started firing tear gas as the march approached the government building. Several injuries have been reported, he confirmed.

15:25 Al-Ahram Arabic reports that protesters at in front of Al-Manshia police station have been attacked by a number of people armed with bladed weapons.

According to Alexandrian authorities at least thirty have been injured in the clashes taking place in the coastal city.

Meanwhile, Ahram Online’s Yasmine Fathi is at the governorate’s headquarters, where tear gas is being fired at protesters. She reports that the canisters being used bear no labels or details about where they were manufactured, and describes the effect of the gas as “much worse” than gas used in previous clashes.

15:20 Moving to the seaport city of Suez, three marches have started marching to the iconic Al-Arabeen square. Protesters are chanting: "Our demands is still the same - bread, dignity and social justice" and "Down with the [Muslim Brotherhood's] Supreme Guide."

15:15 Several small demonstrations are take place in governorates around Egypt, including Damanhour, Sharqiya, Minya, Menoufiya, Luxor and Dakhiliyah.

The chants are mostly protesting deteriorating living conditions, demanding justice for slain protesters, and pressing for the revolution’s unmet goals. Many chants are against the Muslim Brotherhood using the slogan: “Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide.”Follow the live updates here at Ahram., more here.

Egypt - Negotiations ongoing to create 'hardline' Islamist electoral coalition.

Egypt - Negotiations ongoing to create 'hardline' Islamist electoral coalition.(AO).Gamaa Islamiya's official spokesperson, Tarek El-Zomor, told Ahram's Arabic-language website Sunday that negotiations were ongoing to create an Islamist coalition to run for the next parliamentary elections. The coalition will exclude the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
Although Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya had run on the FJP list in the last parliamentary elections, El-Zomor says the experience was not satisfactory, confirming his group will be seeking a different form of Islamist coalition in the coming elections.
Ongoing negotiations led by El-Zomor began Thursday in Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya's headquarters in Cairo's Mohandeseen district and included former Nour Party Chairman Emad Abdel-Ghafour, who is currently seeking to form a new Salafist party named El-Watan, as well as representatives from the Hazemoon (supporters of Salafist figure Hazem Abu-Ismail) movement.
In the 2011 parliamentary elections, the Salafist Nour Party in addition to several other Salafist political parties refused to join the Muslim Brotherhood's electoral coalition named the "Democratic Alliance" and instead created another named the "Islamist Bloc" which was able to garner more than 20 per cent of the total number of seats.Hmmmm......Soon the Egyptian Copts will be a 'species threatened with extinction'.Read the full story here.

Germany - Indian Student's Tongue Cut in Possible Islamist Attack.

Demonstration of Salafis in Bonn

Germany - Indian Student's Tongue Cut in Possible Islamist Attack.(Spiegel).Police in Bonn are investigating a possible attack on a 24-year-old Indian man who claims to have been the victim of an assault by two Islamists on Christmas Eve. The man, a university student had to be treated at a local hospital for a lacerated tongue following the attack.
According to the victim, he was approached by two men who asked him what his religion was before demanding that he convert to Islam. Otherwise, the men said, he was an infidel and his tongue would have to be cut out. Then, as the man tried to walk away, the two assailants attacked him from behind, the victim told police. A passerby happened across the bleeding victim and called an ambulance. He was treated at the hospital and then released.
Police investigators believe the man's story to be credible and also believe that the incident could indeed have been the work of Islamists. He described the perpetrators as having long beards but no moustaches, a style often preferred by Salafists. There were, however, no witnesses to the attack and police are currently searching for suspects.
It is not the first time this year that Bonn has hit the headlines as a result of possible Islamist activity. In May, a Salafist was arrested after stabbing two police officers during a counter-demonstration against a display of Muhammad caricatures by a local right-wing populist party. Earlier this month, another member of the orthodox Muslim group threatened to take a hostage in order to force the perpetrator's release from prison.Read the full story here.

Egypt - Rights group accuses Ansar al-Sharia Brigades of threatening Coptic pope.

Egypt - Rights group accuses Ansar al-Sharia Brigades of threatening Coptic pope.(EI).Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Federation of Human Rights, on Tuesday filed a charge with the prosecutor general, requesting the arrest of the members of the so-called Ansar al-Sharia Brigades, after they posted on Facebook a list of assassination targets in case the state falls.
The list included familiar faces from politics and the media, as well as Pope Tawadros II and other Coptic figures.
Gabriel said that what was posted constitutes intimidation, thuggery, threats to national security and safety, sedition, terrorism and violation of the rule of law, and that all these crimes are mentioned in the Egyptian Penal Code.
He called on the interior minister to conduct investigations into who is behind the group and its finances.
Meanwhile, The Copts for Egypt Coalition sent a message to Mohamed al-Beltagy, a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, in response to his remarks on the group’s Misr 25 channel, in which he said the Copts should not get caught up with the remnants of the former regime and the National Democratic Party, or with Ahmed Shafiq.
Hany al-Gizy, chairman of the coalition, said in the message that the Copts only get caught up with what is good for Egypt, even at their own expense.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm. Hmmmm.....did i not warn of another 'Kristal night' like they did last year around Christmas in Egypt?Read the full story here.

3,000 Foreign Jihadis to Terrorize Egyptian Opposition?

3,000 Foreign Jihadis to Terrorize Egyptian Opposition?(MiddleEastForum).By Raymond Ibrahim. FrontPageMagazine.com. December 11, 2012.

The title of a recent Al Khabar News report declares: "Morsi summons 3,000 jihadis from Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, Somalia and Iran to be an Islamic army to strike the police and army forces" of Egypt.
According to the report, Ibrahim Ali, a lawyer of various Islamic groups, said that 3,000 leaders and members of the Jihad Groups and the notorious Islamic Group—including the brother of Khaled al-Islambouli, the army officer who planned and participated in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat—will arrive in Egypt in a few days.
Ali added that most of these leaders are coming from Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, Kenya, Iran, and even London. Similar reports had appeared earlier, in November: these seasoned jihadis may already be in Egypt. Moreover, back in August, days after Morsi assumed Egypt's presidency, he released jihadi convicts from the nation's two most notorious terrorist organizations, Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Group—including several held under tight security and on death row for committing especially heinous acts of terror in Egypt.
It is often forgotten that Morsi himself, Egypt's president, was a former convict in Egypt, imprisoned for his designs to impose Sharia on the social order—precisely what he is doing now unfettered, including by summoning and releasing jihadis to subdue his fellow Egyptians who oppose the Islamization of Egypt—which has millions of Christians and liberal Muslims.
At the very least, one can argue that, at the time of the elections, half the nation was against Islamization, as the vote between Morsi and the secularist Ahmed Shafiq was split down the middle (some authoritative sources even say that Shafiq won). Now, even more Egyptians are going against Morsi, as evinced by these popular revolts. A recent talk show on El Balad TV expressed the popular resentment being felt by the average Egyptian, when a Muslim woman called in saying to the MB official on the show:

You people [Muslim Brotherhood] must give people and their ideas some room, you can't always get angry and fight—it's unacceptable…. Come on you guys, what's the deal? We have come to hate the world. I swear to God, if there is an empty mountain for me to live in, I would take my children and go there! You've made us hate our lives! Let me tell you something: I voted for Morsi. May God have paralyzed my hand! May a car have run me over when I went to the voting booth!

In other words, Morsi needs all the help he can get, and it is certainly not far fetched to believe that he would summon the aid of foreign jihadis. For example, here is a list circulating on twitter by the jihadi organization Ansar Al Sharia—"the Supporters of Sharia"—indicating who it will kill should Muhammad Morsi fail; among the names is new Coptic Pope Tawadros.
Moreover, the amount of violence inflicted so far on Egyptian protesters certainly can be described as terrorism. Aside from those killed by Brotherhood forces, here are some pictures of those beat and tortured. Many of these victims tell the same story: they were threatened to admit publicly that "outside" sources had hired them to protest otherwise they were severely beat and tortured.
In typical Islamist projection fashion, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is enlisting the aid of fellow but foreign jihadis, is trying to portray the grassroots revolts against it as a foreign conspiracy.
Nor is there any doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood was always more interested in empowering Islam over improving Egypt—a natural consequence of the Islamist mentality, which sees the triumph of Islam and Muslims, the collective Umma, more important than the triumph of one's nation and immediate neighbors.
A couple examples: Brotherhood representative Safwat Hegazy—who earlier predicted the group would be "masters of the world"—is more interested in seeing Jerusalem become the capital of the Islamic caliphate than Cairo prospering for Egypt; and the former General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Muhammad Akef, when pressured to talk more about Egypt and less about Islam, declared "the hell with Egypt," clearly indicting that the interests of his country are secondary to Islam's.
Speaking of the General Guide, only recently, more evidence emerged demonstrating that Morsi is little more than a tool of Islamization: although many accused Morsi of simply being a stooge to the General Guide—currently Muhammad Badie, who, as head of the Muslim Brotherhood, has one goal, the enforcement of Sharia in Egypt—Morsi brushed aside such talk, saying he was his own man, that his policies for Egypt would have nothing to do with Brotherhood interests, that he was a president for all Egyptians, etc., etc.
Amazingly, however, a couple days ago on Egyptian satellite TV, a Muslim Brotherhood official actually admitted that "Yes, the General Guide rules Muhammad Morsi," to a flabbergasted host, who in resignation, said, "Well that's it; it's over. What else is there to say?"
Indeed, what else is there to say about an Egyptian president who terrorizes Egyptian citizens into accepting Sharia law?

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free mef mailing listThis text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL.

Video - Senior Egyptian Judge Ahmad Al-Zind in Favor of Implementing Islamic Punishments.

Senior Egyptian Judge Ahmad Al-Zind in Favor of Implementing Islamic Punishments.Following are excerpts from an interview with Ahmad Al-Zind, chairman of the Egyptian Judges Club, which aired on Dream 2 TV on November 26, 2012:

Ahmad Al-Zind: The judges have a burning desire to instate shari’a laws regarding Islamic hudud punishments and the diya indemnity. The UAE has resolved this issue without problems and in a simple way – the first article of its penal code states that shari’a law will be implemented with regard to the hudud and diya. When shari’a laws are implemented, they leave no room for bargaining. Any country that refrains from implementing these punishments is lacking in many ways. People should not fear the implementation of the hudud punishments, because this could be more lenient to the accused then ta’zir punishment [in which the judge has discretion].

Interviewer: How come?

Ahmad Al-Zind: Let’s consider, for example, the punishment for theft. For you to be able to apply the hudud punishment for theft, the thief must have stolen a certain amount, measured in gold… The value of the stolen goods must reach a certain amount. The crime must have been committed in a locked place. If someone leaves their gold or money in the living room and the maid takes it, she is not subject to the hudud punishment, because the money is considered to have been left unattended. The person who is sentenced to such punishments must have been provided with work and livelihood by society, so that he would not have to steal from others. After all that, if he still steals, his hand is chopped off.
Take, for example, the hudud punishment for fornication. Proving this crime in our time is practically impossible.

Interviewer: You need four witnesses…

Ahmad Al-Zind: Credible ones! Yet people terrify you with talk about the hudud.
There is no backwardness in Islam, and people who claim otherwise are backward themselves. Allah’s mercy towards His servants is evident in the fact that the person administering lashings places a notebook in his armpit, preventing him from inflicting pain by raising his arm too high, lest the notebook should fall. Source: Memri.

Video - Egyptian Child Preacher Muslim Sa'id: Instating Shari'a Law Will Solve All Our Nation's Problems.

Egyptian Child Preacher Muslim Sa'id: Instating Shari'a Law Will Solve All Our Nation's Problems.Following are excerpts from a video featuring child preacher Muslim Sai’d, which was posted on the Internet on November 2, 2012:

Muslim Sa’id: Yusuf said at the end of Sura Yusuf: “Oh my Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed upon me some power, and taught me the interpretation of dreams and events. Oh Creator of the heavens and the earth, you are my protector in this world and the world to come.”

I’d like to know what you think about instating the shari’a. Instating the shari’a is the solution to all the problems of our Islamic nation. When, Allah willing, the shari’a is instated, it will provide solutions to all the problems.

People say that the shari’a is about lashing, stoning, and chopping off hands. I’d like to tell them that the shari’a is like a very beautiful garden, and the Islamic hudud punishments constitute the walls around this garden, keeping out the thieves.Source: Memri.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Its True Intentions Towards Israel.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Its True Intentions Towards Israel.(IMRA).By Dr. Liad Porat.

"America ... Perhaps... should look more closely at the Brotherhood’s true intentions before providing future aid."

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 192, December 10, 2012

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: When speaking to the Western world, the Egyptian government led by the Muslim Brotherhood preaches its commitment to the peace treaty with Israel. To its own countrymen, however, the Brotherhood, led by President Mohamed Morsi, has made no secret of its desire to cancel the treaty.
The Brotherhood sees Israel as a strategic threat and has aggressively lobbied Morsi to strengthen Egyptian military presence in Sinai. While a military conflict with Egypt is not likely in the near future, the anti-Israel rhetoric emanating from senior Brotherhood leaders must be taken seriously.
Although the Muslim Brotherhood has not changed its hostile position towards Israel, it has sent mixed messages since rising to power in Egypt. On one hand, the political leaders, such as President Mohamed Morsi, speak of Egypt’s intentions to abide by its international treaties. On the other hand, these leaders emphasize that they will do so only when the treaties serve Egypt’s national interests. They argue that Egypt’s treaty with Israel harms the Egyptian national interest and intend on bringing it to a national referendum, with the ultimate intention of cancelling the treaty. The Brotherhood’s contradictory stance should raise alarms in the West regarding the organization’s true intentions.

President Mohamed Morsi’s Rise to the Top

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 and is the world’s largest political Islamic organization. Morsi joined the party in the late 1970s when opposition to the peace treaty with Israel was a main topic of discussion within the organization. He quickly became the head of the regional committee dedicated to opposing the “Zionist Project,” and was later appointed chairman of a similar committee on the national level. 
He was elected in 2000 to Parliament as an independent representative of the Brotherhood (since under President Hosni Mubarak the Brotherhood was banned), and remained in that role until 2005, when he was promoted to a position in the Brotherhood’s Guidance Office. In 2011 he was chosen as the head of the official Brotherhood political party, the Justice and Freedom Party. Brotherhood candidates ran under this party in the local and national elections held in the wake of the revolution. In the period immediately after Mubarak’s ouster, the Brotherhood declared that it would not enter a candidate in the race. However, nearly two months before the elections the organization changed course. It claimed that its intervention was designed at combating forces that were allegedly trying to disrupt the election process and the democratic nature of the state. Its initial candidate, longtime leader Khairat El-Shater, was released from jail a short time after Mubarak was deposed; however, allegations of embezzling Brotherhood funds derailed his candidacy. Morsi was selected to replace him, won the election, and became Egypt’s new president in June 2012.

The Brotherhood’s Policy on Sinai and Israel

According to the Brotherhood, Sinai is Egyptian and Islamic territory upon which the country has not yet exercised its full sovereignty. It believes that the region must be “freed” from international agreements and treaties, specifically the peace deal with Israel that declares Sinai a demilitarized zone. Development of Sinai was a major issue on the Brotherhood political platform during the elections, on a much greater scale than the development of other needy areas in Egypt. The Brotherhood demands that the government develop Sinai in all aspects, including building civilian infrastructure, creating industry, and strengthening its internal and military security. The organization recognizes the importance of securing Egypt’s border with Israel and wants to see more troops deployed to the region. In essence, its desire to develop Sinai is only in the context of its conflict with Israel.
The Brotherhood defines Israel as an enemy state and does not officially recognize it. “Palestine” is viewed as holy Islamic land, and Hamas, a Brotherhood-affiliated organization, is seen as the spearhead in the battle to liberate the land and Jerusalem. 
The Brotherhood acknowledges that this battle must be fought gradually and that it must be patient and careful in trying to achieve this goal.
In recent months, Brotherhood Supreme Leader Mohammed Badie referred to Israelis as “rapists” and called on Muslims to liberate Jerusalem through jihad. He defined Palestine and Jerusalem as holy Muslim land and said that any means used to liberate those lands are acceptable. He did permit Jews to live as minority citizens in any other country, as long as they do not have their own state. On November 22, 2012, the day after Morsi brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Badie again declared that jihad was “obligatory” for all Muslims and said that Israel “knows nothing but the language of force.”

Conclusion

In addition to the Brotherhood’s control of the regime, it has influenced the Egyptian street to think that Israel is no longer a stabilizing factor in the region. The Brotherhood has convinced the Egyptian public that a treaty with Israel harms Egyptian national security and threatens internal Egyptian stability. This thought process goes against the spirit of the peace treaty signed between the two nations.
The Brotherhood recognizes Israel’s military and technological advantage and doesn’t want to start a war. In its move to take over Egypt, the Brotherhood has acted with near-precision and has until recently made almost no mistakes. Regarding foreign policy and security, however, it has no experience. Therefore the possibility of a security threat emanating from Egypt in the near future cannot be dismissed.
America has an interest to financially assist Egypt as an actor that is still considered moderate in the Middle East and is officially registered as a democracy. Perhaps it should look more closely at the Brotherhood’s true intentions before providing future aid.

=====================

Dr. Liad Porat is a lecturer of Middle East history at Haifa University and a research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
BESA Center Perspectives Papers are published through the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler Family.

"ARAB WINTER" - IMF postpones $4.8 billion loan to Egypt, PM calls for ‘social dialogue’.

"ARAB WINTER" - IMF postpones $4.8 billion loan to Egypt, PM calls for ‘social dialogue’.(AA).The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has postponed a $4.8 billion loan to Egypt after linked economic belt-tightening steps were suspended.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Prime Minister Hesham Qandil defended President Mohammed Mursi’s recent decision not to increase taxes and called for a “social dialogue” on the tax measures.
The IMF deal delay will be a blow to the government as it was seen as vital to reassuring investors and donors about the country’s economic plans.
The IMF board was scheduled to meet to discuss approving the loan on Dec. 19 after a preliminary agreement was reached during a visit by an IMF team to Cairo last month. The IMF had said Egypt must keep policy steady for the loan to go through.
"In light of the unfolding developments on the ground, the Egyptian authorities have asked to postpone their request for a Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF," a Fund spokeswoman told Reuters in a statement.
"The Fund remains in close contact with the authorities, and stands ready to continue supporting Egypt during the ongoing transition and to consult with the authorities on the resumption of discussions regarding the Stand-By Arrangement," the spokeswoman said.
"He said the delay would give officials time to explain an economic reform package after media criticism prompted the government to postpone measures that were part of the program.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, Prime Minister Qandil, who criticized the media’s “erroneous” reporting over Mursi’s tax scrap said a “social dialogue” meeting will take place next week to explain the government’s tax project.
There are two pillars that will decide the upcoming project, according to the minister. These pillars, he said, are “never to affect those with limited income” and “achieve social justice.”
He emphasized that prices of basic goods such as bread, gas, sugar and tea will not see any hikes.
Two days ahead of mass rallies to protest a draft constitution the president had put for vote on Dec. 15, Mursi scrapped measures to raise sales taxes on a wide range of consumer goods such as cigarettes, soft drinks, oil, beer, cement and fertilizer, mobile calls and water.
Mursi’s tax raise decision in a time of political turmoil stunned even the closest of his allies.
Some critics said that the suspicion of the tax hike could lead to the cancellation of the $4.8 billion IMF loan Egypt is waiting for.
They also criticized the government for not consulting with business associations such as the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Egyptian Tax Association that have expertise about the issue.
The Freedom and Justice party, the political arm of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement said in its “permanent position” was to reject any economic policies that would increase the burden on low-income groups.Hmmmm..........How's that 2 billion dollar financial package Turkey and Egypt agreed on coming along?Read the full story here.

Anti-Mursi protesters breach presidential palace barricades, Egypt Judges Club rejects to oversee referendum.

Anti-Mursi protesters breach presidential palace barricades, Egypt Judges Club rejects to oversee referendum.(AA).Protesters opposed to Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi on Tuesday breached concrete barricades built outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Tuesday, forcing back the soldiers manning it.

There was no violent confrontation. The protesters pulled apart a high metal gate bar by bar and toppled concrete blocks with chains.
Soldiers, who had erected the barrier on the weekend to block access roads following violent clashes in the area last week, fell back closer to the palace, which is surrounded by a high brick wall. Six tanks were stationed close to the compound.
The protesters were part of a crowd expected to swell to tens of thousands through Tuesday night to denounce a referendum proposed by President Mursi on a draft new constitution written up by his Islamist allies. Earlier, nine people were hurt when gunmen fired at protesters camping in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, according to witnesses and Egyptian media.
Supporters of the Islamist leader, who want the vote to go ahead as planned on Saturday, were also gathering in the capital, setting the stage for further street confrontations in a political crisis that has divided the Arab world’s most populous nation.
Police cars surrounded Tahrir Square in central Cairo, the first time they had appeared in the area since Nov. 23, shortly after a decree by Mursi awarding himself sweeping temporary powers that touched off widespread protests.
The upheaval following the fall of Hosni Mubarak last year is causing concern in the West, in particular the United States, which has given Cairo billions of dollars in military and other aid since Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979.
The Tahrir Square attackers, some masked, also threw petrol bombs which started a small fire, witnesses said.
“The masked men came suddenly and attacked the protesters in Tahrir. The attack was meant to deter us and prevent us from protesting today. We oppose these terror tactics and will stage the biggest protest possible today,” said John Gerges, a Christian Egyptian who described himself as a socialist.
The latest bout of unrest has so far claimed seven lives in clashes between the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and opponents who are also besieging Mursi’s presidential palace.
The elite Republican Guard which protects the palace has yet to use force to keep protesters away from the graffiti-daubed building, now ringed with tanks, barbed wire and concrete barricades.
The army has told all sides to resolve their differences through dialogue, saying it would not allow Egypt to enter a “dark tunnel”. For the period of the referendum, the army has been granted police powers by Mursi, allowing it to arrest civilians.
The army has portrayed itself as the guarantor of the nation’s security but so far it has shown no appetite for a return to the bruising front-line political role it played after the fall of Mubarak, which severely damaged its standing. Mohamed ElBaradei, a prominent opposition leader and Nobel prize winner, called for dialogue with Mursi and said the referendum should be postponed for a couple of months due to the chaotic situation.
“This revolution was not staged to replace one dictator with another,” he said in an interview with CNN.Hmmmm......Obama sure was a whole lot faster to tell Mubarak to go.Read the full story here.

Raw Video - Pro-Muslim Brotherhood goons w Qaeda flag lay siege to liberal TV station in Egypt & flex muscle.Morsi's version 1935 Brown Shirts?

HT: TarekFatah.

Egypt’s draft constitution a “ticking bomb” for women’s rights.

Egypt’s draft constitution a “ticking bomb” for women’s rights.(BM).CAIRO: Egyptian women’s groups have again lashed out at the draft constitution to go to a referendum on December 15, saying it is a “ticking bomb” that threatens the very nature of equality and women’s rights in the country.
The movements have called the referendum “void” as it “crashes the aspirations of the people and the principles of the revolution”.
The local feminist organization, Baheya Ya Masr, has said that by pushing the constitution forward without widespread national consensus is a threat to women in the country.
The group said they feared that the constitution would pave the way for “political Islam,” which they argued would leave out most basic principles of democracy and transparency.
The group said in a statement published on Tuesday that they have observed through reading the draft that it will leave women on the outside of their basic rights.
The group said that the draft constitution includes some “ticking bombs” for women and children, slamming articles 2, 4, 219 which maintain that Islamic law as the main source of legislation and grants Al-Azhar the power of jurisdiction.
They are not the only women’s group that has spoken out against the constitution.
The Egyptian Association for the Assistance of Juveniles and Human Rights added that Article 70 also does not prohibit child trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The NGO decried the assembly’s failure to specify the age of children in the charter, particularly when Egypt was one of the first signatories of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which clearly declares anyone below the age of 18 as a minor.
The minimum age for marriage set by the Personal Status Code in 2008 was 18, which is not the case under the new constitution.
According to Amnesty International, Egypt’s draft constitution does not shield minors from early marriage and permits child labor.
Ultra-conservative Salafists – Islamic puritans – have been calling for the marriage age to be reduced, and under the new constitution, it could very well see the gross exploitation of the country’s young girls.
“It is permissible for the girl at the age of 9 or 10 to marry,” Yassir Barhami said in discussing a woman’s sexual reproduction and his interpretation of Islam during a September interview.
The Salafist preacher claimed that under Islam when a girl begins to ovulate she is ready for marriage. He added during a television debate on Dream TV that “marriage of a girl would not be a supplement for education,” but added that it “was better” to marry a girl young “than falling into sin with customary marriage.”
He is a member of the constituent assembly that was tasked with drafting the constitution.
The cleric cited the Qur’an in arguing that any girl who is menstruating should be married and begin having children.
At the same time of advocating the marriage age be dropped to 14-years-old, he argued that the Salafist Constituent Assembly is also pushing for a law that denies “slavery against women” in the new constitution.
Manal al-Taibi, a now resigned member of the Constituent Assembly, said that this call is the promotion of child marriage and is akin to rape.
She has resigned her position on the assembly in protest to the overuse of Sharia law, or Islamic law, permeating the drafting process.
On top of the marriage issue, women’s rights as a whole have been removed, and the clause on equality has been left out.
The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) said in a statement that the cancellation of a number of women’s rights clauses is “planned aggression against Egyptian women” and demanded that women and their rights are protected in the new constitution.
“In the light of intimidating the Egyptian women and seeking to attack their rights by some dominant mainstream in the constituent assembly of the constitution, the Egyptian society was shocked due to the announcement, on behalf of some members of the committee, on the cancellation of article 68 from what is known as the draft of constitution,” ECWR said in their statement.
Article 68 had guaranteed the rights and equality of women and men in all sectors of society, including political, cultural, economic and social life “and all other fields without prejudice to the provisions of Islamic Shari’a.
“The State provides the services of motherhood and childhood for free. The state ensures the women’s health care, social and economic rights and the right of inheritance and reconcile with her duties towards the family and her work in the society. The state provides protection and special attention of household, divorced, and widowed women and others of women who most in need,” read Article 68.
The rights group urged the constituent assembly to abide by the understanding that men and women are equal under Egyptian law.
“The need to include specific references aiming at establishing the principle of equality between women and men, addressed ‘women and men’, instead of the signals or ambiguous and general words such as ‘personals and citizens or individuals’. The reference of women or men in the preamble reinforces the idea that says women and men are equal in the constitution and both of them have the same rights and duties, and they are treated equally without any discrimination,” ECWR continued.
Women’s rights have become a major focal point in the new constitution, with a number of conservatives on the assembly pushing to revoke many of the gains achieved in the years leading up to the Egyptian uprising, including divorce rights, economic rights and the age of marriage.Hmmmm.......NO American President has approved of these kind of laws.....until now.Read the full story here.

Egypt - Salafist preacher warns of 'Islamic revolution' if opposition attempts coup.

Egypt - Salafist preacher warns of 'Islamic revolution' if opposition attempts coup.(AO).Leading member of the Salafist Call in Alexandria Saeed Abdel-Azim warned on Monday of an "Islamic revolution" if Egypt's political opposition "attempted to overthrow" the country's elected president, Mohamed Morsi. "If secularists try to topple President Morsi or storm the presidential palace, we will not stand still," Abdel-Azim declared at a Monday conference in the coastal city of Alexandria.
"We will organise a massive Islamic revolution in Egypt involving unprecedented numbers." The popular Salafist preacher also accused leaders of Egypt's political opposition of "receiving foreign funds" and of being influenced by the US, which, he alleged, was trying to sow chaos in Egypt for Israel's sake. 
"They are the enemies of Islam," Abdel-Azim said of certain opposition leaders. He went on to voice his displeasure with the cancellation of President Morsi's 22 November decree, which, he said, had served to "protect the president's decisions [from a hostile judiciary] so he might combat widespread corruption." It was not the first time for Abdel-Azim to make such statements. On Saturday, he made a similar statement at a press conference held by Egypt's Islamic Coalition, attended by several Islamist figures including Muslim Brotherhood number-two Khairat El-Shater. At the conference, Abdel-Azim accused opposition leaders – especially reform campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei – of standing against the implementation of Islamic Law in Egypt, which, he said, was "non-negotiable." "The hostility towards Islam is clear, but a constitution that does not represent Islamic Law is unacceptable," he said. Hmmm....."Salafi-jihadi sheikh Abu Mundhir Al-Shinqiti said: "Sheikh Hazem [Abu Isma'il] will never be able to implement Allah's shari'a by means of these elections that perpetuate democracy, and I believe that many of the sheikhs who ruled [that people must] vote for him would agree with us that democracy and Islam are incompatible."Read the full story here.

Video - Egyptian Salafi Sheik Murgan Salem Calls to Destroy Pyramids, Tax Christians, and Says: Bin Laden Greater than Saladin.

Egyptian Salafi Sheik Murgan Salem Calls to Destroy Pyramids, Tax Christians, and Says: Bin Laden Greater than Saladin.Following are excerpts from a show featuring Egyptian Salafi Sheikh Murgan Salem, which aired on Dream 2 TV, on November 10 and 13, 2012.

Murgan Salem: They must pay the jizya poll tax. They cannot be exempted.

TV host Wael Al-Abrashi: You mean the Christians...?

Murgan Salem: I'll tell you, just bear with me. Yes, this should be one of the sources of income of the state. The Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians are welcome to live in the Abode of Islam, as long as they pay the jizya poll tax, and abide by the terms set by the Emir of the Believers, who rules the country.

Wael Al-Abrashi: What if they serve in the military?

Murgan Salem: They don’t need to. We will defend them. We will defend them.

Wael Al-Abrashi: When you say that you will destroy the statues, the Sphinx, and the pyramids, just like you destroyed the Buddha statues in Afghanistan – isn't this a cause for fear?

Murgan Salem: What is there to be afraid of?

Journalist Nabil Sharaf al-Din: This is a universal heritage. It doesn't belong only to you.

Murgan Salem: Let me ask you a question: Why are you afraid of shattering these idols? Do you worship these idols?

Nabil Sharaf al-Din: No sir, but this is a universal heritage that must be respected.

Wael Al-Abrashi: If you were in power, you would destroy the Sphinx, the pyramids, and all the Pharonic statues and antiquities?

Murgan Salem: All pagan statues and monuments – whether they are worshipped now or there is fear that they will be worshipped again, even if by a single person in the world – must be destroyed by us or others.

Wael Al-Abrashi: You met Osama Bin Laden in [Afghanistan]. You worked with him and fought with him.

Murgan Salem: First of all, I won't allow anyone to say "Osama Bin Laden" without the title "Sheikh".

Wael Al-Abrashi: Fine, Sheikh Osama Bin Laden. That's your call.

Murgan Salem: Sheikh Bin Laden is one of the greatest leaders of the Muslims to this day. I consider Sheikh Osama Bin Laden to be greater than Saladin. Saladin had supporters in his day...

Wael Al-Abrashi: Sheikh Morgan, don't get me worked up...

Murgan Salem: Okay, I won't. Let me explain. When Saladin wanted to liberate the Islamic world and expel the Tatars, there were emirates and armies that, although they were weak, supported him. Bin Laden had no supporters. Everybody was against him.

Wael Al-Abrashi: And you consider the killing of innocent women and children to be a glorious deed?

Murgan Salem: Sheikh Osama Bin Laden did not kill a single innocent woman or child who was a Muslim. Who says Sheik Osama killed innocent people? Where exactly?

This [Buddha] statue was worshipped by over 800 million people in the world – in the Koreas, Japan, Burma, Thailand, part of the Philippines, much of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. They are all Buddhists, who worship Buddha, a god other than Allah. This statue was worshipped rather than Allah. Its destruction was not an act of destroying a universal heritage. We have no respect for idols that are worshipped instead of Allah.
If I were president of Egypt, I would have destroyed those idols, whether worshipped or not. This is the law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Three ministries must be abolished. The Ministry of Tourism is the first one. This ministry is based on prostitution and depravity...

Wael Al-Abrashi: Sheikh Murgan, it seems that you want to close the country, and turn it into darkness. No tourist would come here. Do you want to destroy this country's economy?

Murgan Salem: I want to purify the economy.
Anyone who thinks what I am saying is an exaggeration...

Wael Al-Abrashi: You want to destroy the pyramids and the Sphinx. Can there be anything more exaggerated than that?

Murgan Salem: This exaggeration is in keeping with the shari'a...

Wael Al-Abrashi: What more would you like to destroy? Would you fill up the Nile with earth? Are we to wake up tomorrow morning and hear a fatwa about filling up the Nile?

Murgan Salem: We will dig another river for you, Allah willing. Source: Memri.

‘Destroy the idols,’ Egyptian jihadist calls for removal of Sphinx, Pyramids.

‘Destroy the idols,’ Egyptian jihadist calls for removal of Sphinx, Pyramids.(AA).An Egyptian jihad leader, with self-professed links to the Taliban, called for the “destruction of the Sphinx and the Giza Pyramids in Egypt,” drawing ties between the Egyptian relics and Buddha statues, local media reported this week. Murgan Salem al-Gohary, an Islamist leader twice-sentenced under former President Hosni Mubarak for advocating violence, called on Muslims to remove such “idols.”
 “All Muslims are charged with applying the teachings of Islam to remove such idols, as we did in Afghanistan when we destroyed the Buddha statues,” he said on Saturday during a television interview on an Egyptian private channel, widely watched by Egyptian and Arab audiences. “God ordered Prophet Mohammed to destroy idols,” he added. “When I was with the Taliban we destroyed the statue of Buddha, something the government failed to do.”
His comments came a day after thousands of ultraconservative Islamists gathered in Tahrir Square to call for the strict application of Sharia law in the new constitution. 
But in retaliation to Gohary’s remarks, the vice president of Tunisia’s Ennahda party, Sheikh Abdel Fattah Moro, called the live program and told Gohary that famous historic military commander Amr ibn al-Aas did not destroy statues when he conquered Egypt. “So who are you to do it?” he wondered. “The Prophet destroyed the idols because people worshiped them, but the Sphinx and the Pyramids are not worshiped.”
Gohary, 50, is well-known in Egypt for his advocacy of violence, Egypt Independent reported. “He was sentenced twice, one of the two sentences being life imprisonment. He subsequently fled Egypt to Afghanistan, where he was badly injured in the American invasion. In 2007, he traveled from Pakistan to Syria, which then handed him over to Egypt. After Mubarak's fall in early 2011, he was released from prison by a judicial ruling,” the newspaper added. In recent months, fears have surfaced that the ultra-conservative Salafi political powers may soon wish to debate new guidelines over Egyptian antiquities. Islamists have swept the recent presidential and parliamentary elections in the country’s post-revolutionary stage, with the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafi Islamists rising to political power. “The fundamental Salafis have demanded to cover Pharaonic statues, because they regard them to be idols,” Egyptian author on ancient history Ahmed Osman told Al Arabiya English, explaining that Salafi Muslims follow conservative religious principles which view statues and sculptures as prohibited in Islam. “But so far the government has done nothing to indicate what is the future of Egyptian antiquities,” adds Osman. Many hope that Egypt’s new President Mohammed Mursi will help usher better preservation of Egypt’s proud cultural heritage. Egyptian officials have recently announced the country will reveal more of its ancient buried treasures. The tomb of Queen Meresankh III, the granddaughter of Khufu, of Great Pyramid fame, is set to be opened to tourists later this year, with the last resting places of five high priests also slated to be put on show. Officials are also believed to be reopening the underground Serapeum temple at Sakkara, to the south of Cairo.Read the full story here.