Egypt begins dismissing imams based on Brotherhood ties
Some legal experts are questioning the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments’ decision to dismiss a number of imams across Egypt over their ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
CAIRO — Egypt’s Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa issued Dec. 1 a decision terminating the service of an imam and preacher in Port Said governorate based on a judicial ruling.
In a statement issued on the same day, the Ministry of Religious Endowments said that based on the ruling issued against Abd al-Rahman Ahmed Qandil, the imam and preacher of the Port Said Endowments, the dismissal decision included a warning to all mosques of the republic not to allow him to mount the pulpit, give lessons or lead any prayers in mosques.
A source at the ministry told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the ruling issued against Qandil proves his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood group. The ruling, he said, was transferred to the Human Resources Department at the ministry, which upheld the imam’s illegibility to continue practicing his job. Gomaa subsequently issued a decision to officially dismiss him, he added.
The source said this decision is not the first of its kind, as Gomaa had launched a major campaign several years ago to cleanse the ministry of the remnants of the Muslim Brotherhood and of those who follow its ideology and methodology.
