CAIRO: Several scholars from Al-Azhar denounced last week the use of Quranic verses in the logos of political groups or placing them on storefronts and cars. A number of Muslim scholars told local media that the use of Quranic verses in this manner is prohibited, saying that the Quran is meant to serve as a guideline for daily life and should not be placed on walls and posters "inappropriately. On Wednesday, Egypt's former mufti Nasr Farid Wasel told Al-Masry Al-Youm that this trend started when shop owners began placing Quranic verses on storefronts and then they appeared in paraphernalia of political parties. "The Quran is a guide to life and not a logo of a [political] party, Wasal said. In an interview with Egypt's local news website, Salem Abdel Galel, deputy ministry of endowment for Islamic da'wa, wondered how stores that "sell juice allow themselves to put a verse from the Quran on their storefront? A few months ago, the Ministry of Interior banned the usage of religious verses on cars; but the law was never implemented. Abdel Moaty Bayoumy, member of the Islamic Research Center, said that people place Quranic verses in this manner because they feel like it will bring them blessings, but it is "disrespectful and mocks the holy verses. Bayoumy specifically criticized Al-Wafd, Al-Amal and the ruling party National Democratic Party for using parts of the Quran in their logos and in material for their political campaigns. On the other hand, Sheikh Mohmoud Hamdy Mogahed, Brotherhood MP and member in the People's Assembly's (PA) religious committee, disagreed. "Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) used verses from the Quran in all occasions .there was no division between religion and politics, he said. Egypt's political rights law, passed two years ago, says that political parties are not allowed to use religious verses in political campaigns. The Muslim Brotherhood regularly uses Quranic verses in material for their campaigns, during speeches and in editorials. Mogahed, who is also former Azhar sheikh, told Daily News Egypt that it is not prohibited to use Quranic verses "anywhere and in any way as long as long as they are not manipulated or "used improperly. "I am not for separating Islam from politics. Muslims should do everything in their lives for God while abiding by Islamic rules, he said.
