Controversy ensues in Egypt over Sisi's use of religious endowments
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is discussing the option of investing religious endowment assets in national development projects to promote the economy, although some point to issues of this action's legality.
CAIRO — The idea of using religious endowment funds to finance major national investment projects has unleashed a religious controversy about the legality of the use of endowment funds.
On Dec. 26, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Jumaa and the head of the Endowments Authority, Ahmed Abdel-Hafiz, to discuss the use of endowment assets to support national projects to help promote growth of the Egyptian economy. Both Jumaa and Abdel-Hafiz expressed agreement with Sisi's overall approach, which he had set in motion in 2016.
