The Egyptian government-appointed head of Islamâs highest seat of learning yesterday suspended a senior cleric who had called on Muslim states to boycott Iraqâs US-appointed governing council. Al-Azhar chief Sheikh Mohamad Sayyed Tantawi said Egyptian cleric Sheikh Nabawi Mohamad Al-Ish âdoes not represent Al-Azhar.â
| "Roll up your prayer mat and get the hell out!" |
âNo Egyptian cleric has the right to pass verdict on the affairs of another country,â Tantawi said in a statement carried by the official MENA news agency. âI cannot overstep the Iraqi sheikhs and proclaim fatwas (religious edicts) on matters that concern them. Iraqi ulema (clerics) have to pronounce their opinion on this matter as they are more familiar with their own affairs.â The Egyptian cleric had sparked a storm on Wednesday by telling the Cairo opposition daily Al-Wafd that Iraqâs governing council âhas no legitimacyâ and that âArab and Muslim states should not deal with it.â |