Ministry of Religious Endowment renaming mosques across Egypt
Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Endowments began replacing the names of mosques with political or ideological connotations in a bid to counter what it says is political exploitation.
CAIRO — Egyptian Minister of Religious Endowment Mohammed Gomaa issued a ministerial decision on April 1 changing the name of the Hassan al-Banna Mosque in Nasser, Beni Suef governorate, to Al-Huda Mosque. Banna is the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In March, Gomaa had ordered a month-long survey of mosques and zawyas (small local mosques) bearing the names of certain persons, groups or associations with the intention of replacing those names with others devoid of an ideological bent. A well-informed source at Gomaa's ministry who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity said that the survey found more than 100 mosques and zawyas named based on a Muslim Brotherhood association or political faction.
