Egypt To Shut Down 27,000 Mosques In Effort To Curb Radicalization
A court recently upheld the administration's position.
President Abdel el-Sisi’s administration in its belief that mosques across the nation must be closely monitored – or closed completely – in order to put a stop to the extremist messages that have increased participation in Islamic terrorism.
About 27,000 mosques will be shuttered in coordination with the 2013 order by the Ministry of Religious Endowments recently upheld by the administrative court. The move applies specifically to small gatherings, with the ministry citing places of worship that occupy less than 861 square feet as its primary target. These will include not only proper mosques, but informal gathering places, as well.
Larger mosques, ministry leaders reason, will not have the resources to take in the hundreds of thousands of Muslims left without a place to worship following the implementation of this ruling.
Other mosques throughout the country must secure permits in order to keep their doors open and any Muslim leader proven to deliver political messages will be prohibited from preaching in Egypt.
A number of new permits – approximately 400 – have since been distributed to imams, though they will remain under close scrutiny as Egypt attempts to address the violence often nurtured by radicalized leaders. These imams will be subject to oversight by a Ministry of Religious Endowments committee and will be forced to take an oath denouncing any such extremist messages.
Should the ministry find a leader in violation of this agreement, its agents are authorized to revoke his or her permit and potentially pursue legal action.
Read more at http://www.westernjournalism.com/egypt-shut-27000-mosques-effort-curb-radicalization/#QtQXZmPRU8W66ZHs.99
No comments:
Post a Comment