CAIRO — The conflict between the Egyptian government and Islamic political forces continues over the issue of religious sermons, particularly the Friday sermons. This crisis remains one of the thorniest issues, and it has always been a tool for political Islam to garner popularity. The government's decision to ban access to the mosque's pulpits without official authorization from the Ministry of Religious Endowments has renewed the conflict between the Salafists and the Egyptian government. Salafist groups such as the Salafist Call, an Egyptian group seeking to spread Salafi ideology in Islam, accused the ministry of excluding them, as the tests to grant these authorizations include questions in Islamic doctrine to ensure the Salafists’ failure.
Over the last two months, the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments held two such exams. Many of the questions used are known for being disputed by Salafists, most notably those about the ruling of Islam regarding the military salute, standing during the national anthem, women in the judiciary, the concept of the caliphate, the reconstruction of places of worship for non-Muslims, bank profits, women wearing the veil and the establishment of museums for ancient Egyptian and Pharaonic artifacts. Salafists have well-known and radical opinions about all these issues, as they believe that Islam forbids such things.
