More than 20,000 storefront mosques in Egypt have been banned from preaching sermons throughout Ramadan in what the government religious oversight body says is a bid to prevent extremist incitement during the holy month.
"Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood members took control of many of these mosques and have continued to use them as platforms to broadcast their religious misconceptions," Jaber Taya, spokesman of Ministry of Religious Endowments, told The National regarding the move announced on May 2.
The ban on preaching during Ramadan came after inspectors said imams at the smaller mosques – known locally as zawyas – were more likely to use their pulpits for political messages than those at larger, better funded facilities with more qualified preachers.
“There are now more than 110,000 mosques in Egypt, and with the numbers growing all the time our ministry has taken steps to monitor violations of sermon guidelines, especially when it comes to the unacceptable promotion of extremist groups,” Mr Taya said.
The ruling follows President Abdel-Fattah Al Sisi’s January 2015 drive to promote “moderate religious discourse.” He called on the Ministry of Religious Endowments and Al Azhar – the country’s highest Sunni authority – to combat extremist ideology and promote moderate understandings of Islam.
Under the former army general, the government has led a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since former president and brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in 2013. Morsi is now serving jail time for various offences he was accused of committing during his time in office.
In January 2014, the Ministry of Religious Endowments faced criticism after setting weekly topics for Friday sermons at mosques across the North African country.
The ministry says it doesn’t have the funding to employ sufficient staff to adequately monitor mosques in all 27 governorates, although a programme started during Ramadan 2015 to install CCTV cameras at houses of worship has boosted the ability of officials to watch over preachers.
"The zawyas can still be used for prayer, we're just barring them from delivering Friday sermons," said Taya.
Some zawya preachers have already been suspended or removed from their posts for violating new guidelines or straying from the topics authorised by the ministry.
“I was suspended from my position after saying in a sermon that I thought Mohamed Morsi was a president who sought only to reform Egypt,” said a 37-year-old imam from the Nile Delta who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The suspension happened after an Ministry of Religious Endowments official reported on me to the higher ups and I have not been allowed to preach since March,” the former preacher said.
Senior clergy in Egypt say the decision to ban sermons at the storefront mosques is in line with Islamic jurisprudence.
“It’s based on a fatwa determining that the goal of Friday prayer is the assembly of people, so they should be encouraged to pray at the larger mosques,” said Abdul Ghani Hindi, a 42 year Al Azhar University graduate who was appointed to the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs shortly after Mr Al Sisi’s ascension to power.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
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- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
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Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company%20Profile
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Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
Company%20Profile
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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