Tensions between Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest religious authority, and the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have escalated in recent days after Egypt's largely pro-government House of Representatives approved a draft law regulating the activities of Dar al-Ifta, Al-Azhar-affiliated institution responsible for issuing religious edicts.

The bill, which has been referred to the State Council for review before its final endorsement by the parliament, seeks to reorganize the way Dar al-Ifta operates including the mechanism by which its head —the grand mufti — is selected, his mandate and the length of his tenure. If the bill is enacted into law, Al-Azhar's Council of Senior Scholars (CSS) would no longer elect the mufti by secret ballot, the method of voting introduced by late Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi in 2012.

Instead, the bill stipulates that the CSS, which is made up of 40 of Al-Azhar's top scholars, would nominate three ulema — either from among its own members or from outside the council — for the position, and it would be up to the president to choose which of the three gets appointed as mufti. The president would also be granted the authority to extend the mufti's tenure or replace him if and when the latter reaches the legal age of retirement of 60.

“The proposed law would place the Islamic legal body under the auspices of the Cabinet instead of under the patronage of the Ministry of Justice as has been the case since Dar al-Ifta's establishment in 1895; it also designates Dar al-Ifta as an autonomous religious institution that enjoys financial, technical and administrative independence,” liberal lawmaker Mohamed Abu Hamed, who has spearheaded a campaign to ban the niqab in Egypt, told Al-Monitor.