With his latest fatwa still the focus of controversy, the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar seems determined to continue to shock the public, writes Mona El-Nahhas There is, said the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi last week, nothing wrong with political power passing from father to son as long as it takes place via free elections. It is the constitutional right of the son, Tantawi noted, referring to Gamal Mubarak, to offer himself as a potential candidate if he so desires. Tantawi's statements were made during an interview aired on the MBC satellite channel and follow hot on the heels of his latest fatwa, in which he appeared to call for the flogging of those found guilty of libel. They should, he said, be beaten 80 times; his reference a passage in the Quran which, as his critics have pointed out, refers explicitly to those impugning the reputation of a virtuous woman. The fatwa gained notoriety since it followed the prison sentences passed against seven journalists found guilty of libelling senior members of the National Democratic Party, foremost among them President Hosni Mubarak and his 43-year-old son Gamal. The fatwa also coincides with the ongoing trial of Ibrahim Eissa, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Al-Dostour, who is accused of publishing rumours concerning the health of President Mubarak. It is no surprise, given the circumstances, that the fatwa should have been interpreted by some as an attempt to furnish the regime with a religious justification to undermine press freedom, or that Tantawi's argument that his fatwa offered a general religious ruling that was not intended to target any specific group has failed to convince a great many commentators. Tantawi, who was appointed to his current post in 1996, has long been seen as an apologist for the regime. His religious opinions, say his detractors, too often appear to flatter the governing system and serve its interests to the extent that he is accused by his critics of compromising the principles of Islam for the sake of state policies in a way that has weakened the credibility of Al-Azhar. Tantawi has also been accused of running Al-Azhar autocratically. Outspoken Azhari scholars who criticised Tantawi have lost their jobs while others have been referred to disciplinary councils. In 1999, he dissolved the Front of Al-Azhar Ulama. Three years later, in 2002, the front's secretary-general, Yehia Ismail, was sentenced to one-year in jail after being found guilty of libelling Tantawi. The front, headed by Ismail, had spear-headed an anti- Tantawi campaign and been critical of the positions Tantawi adopted on a range of issues, including the payment and charging of interest by banks. "By getting rid of his opponents Tantawi managed to tighten his grip upon Al-Azhar and to make whatever decisions he likes," said one Al-Azhar scholar who asked that his name be withheld. Last week, Tantawi introduced controversial changes to the Al-Azhar syllabus. Books dealing with the four creeds of Islamic jurisprudence were removed from the syllabus while Tantawi's own book, The Easier Jurisprudence, was added. The decision was approved by Al-Azhar's Supreme Council, headed by Tantawi. Members of the council were quoted as saying that the decision is part of a plan to develop the Al-Azhar curricula in a way that makes it easier for the students. Ahmed Taha Rayan, professor of comparative jurisprudence and a former member of the dissolved Front of Al-Azhar Ulama, opposes the decision. "It's a very serious step. It means that Al-Azhar students will be ignorant of the creeds of jurisprudence, something that will ultimately isolate them from their religious legacy. Tantawi's book cannot stand as a replacement for the books of the four jurists."
