“Salafists won’t stop until I become a Christian!” said Muhammad Sharbini, a worker at Al-Othman Mosque in Ismailia, situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal. This is how he summarizes a conflict raging between himself as the representative of Al Azhar— renowned Islamic educational institute and mosque— and a Salafist sheikh who quarrelled with him and cursed him in from of worshippers a week earlier.

“Salafists won’t stop until I become a Christian!” said Muhammad Sharbini, a worker at Al-Othman Mosque in Ismailia, situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal. This is how he summarizes a conflict raging between himself as the representative of Al Azhar— renowned Islamic educational institute and mosque— and a Salafist sheikh who quarrelled with him and cursed him in from of worshippers a week earlier.

Subsequently, Sharbini filed a complaint against the member of the Salafist Alnour Party, accusing him of trying to control a mosque of the Ministry of Awkaf (MoA) and preventing him as a civil servant from performing his duties, in addition to cursing and swearing at him.

Sharbini claims this conflict is caused by the absence of the mosque’s imam, who lives far away in the Sharkia Governorate while the Salafist sheikh is present and trying to take over and perform ritual prayers in that mosque, which is located in a popular area in the city. Although he admits that Salafists are entitled to spread their mission as they wish, Sharbini said his complaint was neglected by MoA and he accused the latter of favouring Salafists and the Muslim Brotherhood, at the expense of its employees.

A power struggle

The struggle intensifies during Ramadan when mosques play a pivotal role in the lives of citizens, as prayers, sermons, religious lessons as well as acts of good, charity and alms are performed more frequently, and religious competitions are organized.

Sharbini claimed that Salafists and Muslim Brotherhood held workshops to spread their influence and connect more of their audience to their call and service programs. Sheikh Muhammad Shazli, who is in charge of the Salafists in Ismailia, however, underestimated this fever of competition.

“One hundred mosques asked us to send them preachers during this month, and we have barely managed to secure 35,” Shazil said. “We don’t buy or sell mosques, rather, we offer the call service which people need. God’s mosques can’t be left empty or else people would abandon them.” 

Shazil also downplayed the impact of the quarrel between Sharbini and one of the men of his call, pointing out that it was a matter of settling regional personal scores and that the complain Sharbini has filed is vexatious, and denying that he himself is who leads the prayer at the mosque where he prays. “Even if the renowned Sheikh Muhammad Hassan came to Ismailia, he had to ask permission of the mosque imam to take his place. For our part, we urge preachers not to engage in any political issues,” he said.

“Mosques are a yard to handle the affairs of life, including politics”

Sharbini, however, refuted the Salafist’s claims.  “When I asked Eng. Sabri Khalafallah who is in charge of the Muslim Brotherhood Administrative Office in Ismailia to give a lecture at the mosque, Salafists objected even though the title was ‘The Prophet – the Example’.  The Muslim Brotherhood understands what the ministry mosques mean, respect their workers and don’t seek to control them or spread their ideas.”

Eng. Hamed Ismail, in charge of education at The Muslim Brotherhood in Ismailia, however, did not make such a clear cut. “We live in a Muslim country and mosques are a yard for handling the affairs of life, including politics of course, following the example of the Prophet himself,” he said.  “A pulpit provides an opportunity to present our political point of view, but we don’t dispute anyone concerning that, neither the Ministry nor Salafists, as we follow the saying of the founding Imam, Hassan al-Banna: ‘Let’s become diverse in what we agree on, and forgive each other in what we disagree on.'”

Taking sides

While Eng. Hamed Ismail limits the role of the Muslim Brotherhood towards Al Azhar in supporting its independence from the former regime, Sheikh Abdulrahman Mahmoud, a member of the Fatwa Committee at Al Azhar, denied that there was a political competition amongst its pulpits. Al Azhar sheikhs, he said, were aware of the history of its mediation, and called on the Muslim Brotherhood to move away from it, as the introduction of politicians into platforms has increased discord amongst Muslims.

On the other hand, Sheikh Muhammad Muhammad Sayed, the MoA Inspector in Ismailia admitted that MoA is neglectful in covering all the mosques needs of preachers, pointing out that Al Azhar removed any preacher who raises problems or political rift from its platforms.

The call to keep mosques away from political dispute has had supporters among the prayers of Al-Othman mosque. Ahmad Hweti, an accountant, believes that mosques must be a yard for assembly rather than for dispersion due to politics, especially in a time when Muslims have been divided into dozens of parties.

Usama Muhammad, a young man in his twenties, had to stay home after some of those politicized took control over the pulpit of a mosque near his house. The attitude towards politicizing the mosque has even sown the seeds of discord between two members of the Muslim Brotherhood itself, he said.

Mahmoud Ghazlawi, who supports the Muslim Brotherhood and studies Sharia at Al Azhar believes that “Mosques should be a yard of life and religion as they were during the era of the Prophet.”

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