The recent decision by the Egyptian government to unify the theme of Friday sermons in all mosques nationwide has sparked mixed reactions, with supporters saying it would put an end to "incitement of violence", while opponents have said it was "a political decision" aiming to grip control over mosques. The decision, taken by Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) Mukhtar Jum'ah, said all mosques were to abide by the weekly topic posted on the ministry's website as of Friday January 31. Under the decision, the Ministry will set the topic of Friday sermons for each month to come. For instance, it said the topics set for February sermons would be as follows: The 31 January sermon would tackle "the development of slums and helping the poor"; the February 7 sermon would centre on "the role of youths in building society"; the February 14 sermon would be on "hope and work"; the February 21 sermon would talk about "knowledge and intellect"; and the February 28 sermon would be on "the environment and its role in development". The Ministry said preachers who would not abide by the topics set for their sermons would face disciplinary action or sacking. It added that it had formed a number of inspection committees to follow up on sermons delivered in different mosques throughout Egypt. The Ministry justified its decision by stating that it is the official body responsible for the organization of Friday rites in all mosques in the country. The Egyptian Union of Preachers has welcomed the decision, saying it was a right decision that was urgently needed in order to "purify the Ministry from the "fifth column and politicized preachers". It added that the decision was also meant to put an end to "incitement of violence" adopted by some "extremist" preachers. "It is a serious step that will show who needs stability and who seeks to cause chaos," said chief of the Union of Preachers Muhammad al-Bastawisi. The controversial decision comes amid a volatile political situation in Egypt where the government accuses the Muslim Brotherhood group of inciting violence, sometimes through Friday sermons delivered by pro-Brotherhood preachers. The government has been cracking down on the group's members and supporters since the ouster of Islamist president Mohammad Morsi in July 2013. In the meantime, Brotherhood supporters have been protesting since the government designated the group as a terrorist organization in December. On January 27, the Ministry of Religious Endowments suspended three preachers for "inciting violence during the Friday sermons and encouraging participation in demonstrations to support the Muslim Brotherhood." Minister Jum'ah said he would not allow any inciters to use the Ministry's platforms against Egyptian citizens. He stressed the need to not involve mosques in political affairs since "Islamists work to use mosques to achieve their personal political objectives". But the decision has received harsh criticism from some observers and preachers who saw it aiming to "tighten state control" over the Muslim places of worship to stifle political activism and free speech. They voiced concern that the decision could lead people not to attend the sermon, which is obligatory on able-bodied Muslims unless there is a strong, valid excuse like sickness. "It is a political decision that aims to tighten control over mosques so that the preachers of these mosques will obey the current authorities and abide by the dictates the authorities impose on state institutions," said Sheikh Sayid Muhammad, the former head of the branch of Al-Jam'iyah al-Shar'iyah (Religious Association) in Al-Haram district in Giza, south of Cairo. Al-Jam'iyah al-Shar'iyah is an NGO that takes over hundreds of mosques across Egypt. For his part, expert in Islamic movements Kamal Habib slammed the decision saying it reflects "the political regime's desire to do anything to achieve its political goals". He added that the decision would "empty mosques from their genuine preaching essence that aims to develop the society". Some observers, meanwhile, cast doubt on the Ministry's ability to apply the decision across the country for lacking enough inspectors. "It is impossible for the Ministry to apply the decision on the ground, since it lacks a sufficient number of inspectors to follow up all mosques affiliated with the Ministry, not to mention the mosques affiliated with NGOs which are estimated at thousands," said Hussein Sa'id, head of Ansar al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyah society, an NGO, in Giza. But the authorities said the vast majority of preachers across Egypt had abided by the theme set for Friday sermons on January 31. "Mosques abided by the topic set for the sermon, which is a great achievement on the road of unifying the sermon's topic and putting things in their right course," Minister Jum'ah told Al-Ahram daily on February 1, one day after the decision came into effect.
