Egypt's top religious institutions unite against Trump's Jerusalem move
Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church hope to pressure the US administration into renouncing its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel through recently launched boycott campaigns.
CAIRO — In Egypt, the fallout from US President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has spread beyond popular and official condemnations and protests by many countries. Religious institutions in Egypt, such as Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, are now boycotting the United States.
Al-Azhar’s first response to Trump’s announcement was swift. In an official statement on Dec. 6, Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb described Trump’s decision as denying Palestinians and Arabs the rights to their holy city. “It disregarded the feelings of more than 1.5 billion Muslims and millions of Arab Christians who are deeply attached to Jerusalem's churches and monasteries.”
The second reaction came on Dec. 9, when Sheikh Abbas Shoman, the deputy sheikh of Egypt's Al-Azhar Institute called for a boycott of American products in Cairo.
He posted to Facebook, “Boycott US and Zionist products. Trump’s decision undermined and offended our feelings. I do not believe it is appropriate for any Muslim or Christian to buy an American or Zionist product. Be positive and make your own decision.”
