Culture Minister Farouk Hosni's declarations to Al-Masry Al-Youm sparked outrage at the People's Assembly [Egypt's lower chamber of parliament] Religious Committee yesterday. The minister had affirmed it was important to tolerate worldly religions and had described those who refuse them as ignorant and backward. Muslim Brotherhood [MB] MP Baha Eddin Attiya said the minister's declarations were due to his candidacy for the UNESCO. He added Mr. Hosni is used to harming Muslims' feelings and attacking religious principles. He also pointed out that the minister is Egypt's top cultural representative and must preserve its Islamic identity instead of fighting it. The MP also affirmed that he would call for an interpellation to have the minister dismissed. People's Assembly Undersecretary Zeynab Radwan described worldly religions as beliefs. She said the minister meant that the followers of such beliefs must be dealt with, adding that his declarations did not aim to push people to convert. Religious Committee Undersecretary Khaled Zardaq agreed, saying the minister had talked about tolerating these religions and not embracing them. MP Alam Eddin el-Sakhawi objected to the minister's describing as backward all those who have a different opinion than his. He added Mr. Hosni represents the government and must respect the Constitution, which sets forth that Islam is Egypt's state religion. Committee Chairman Ahmed Omar Hashem wondered why the minister had not clarified what he had told to the press. He pointed out that Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour had called for a response to what had been printed by the press without this being discussed at the Assembly. MP Ragab Abou Zeid demanded that the discussion on the issue be put off to when the minister would be present. MP Sayyed Askar, for his part, accused the Culture Minister of adopting an I-didn't-mean approach in all circumstances, as happened for example with the headscarf issue. Vice Culture Minister Mohamed Saber Arab defended Mr. Hosni saying the minister meant that half of the world's population has no religion and must be dealt with. "Islam will remain until the end of the world" he added.
