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Who will dictate religious discourse in Egypt?

Tensions are building as the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Al-Azhar Mosque are competing over who gets to determine the topics imams discuss in mosques.
Awqaf Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa speaks during a conference held by the Awqaf (Religious Affairs) Ministry headquarters in Cairo, May 25, 2015, to discuss the renewal of religious discourse, a proposal by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in hopes to confront the extremism that has swept the region in recent years. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTX1EH3I
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CAIRO — Al-Azhar Mosque and the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) have been at odds over which institution should determine the content of Friday sermons. Now the tension is growing, as the ministry has officially declared itself in charge.

Without consulting the mosque, on Jan. 10 the ministry officially declared that, beginning in March, it will be determining Friday sermon scripts for the next five years as part of its plan to reform religious discourse in Egypt. The ministry is responsible for organizing religious discourse inside mosques, while Al-Azhar is responsible for Islamic outreach in the world.

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