CAIRO: An Islamic ruling on Egypt s exportation of gas to Israel needs a study of the entire file first and it is not within the Mufti s scope of duties, said the country s Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. Gomaa was queried on the issue by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Wasat while on a visit there for a conference. He stated that for him to make a ruling on the topic, he would need to review all the necessary files. These types of issues are considered by Islamic legislators as events that have already taken place, a fact he said, and thus include several aspects that need reviewing, including time and place and the people involved. Therefore the files of such an issue need to be reviewed. When asked whether he had requested to view the file Gomaa responded, To ask about this is not within my jurisdiction, explaining that it would be ridiculous to assume otherwise. It is not part of my duties to search for these things, and for you to expect me to do so is strange, for you want me to do everything, he added. Mohamed Ashour, former deputy head of Al Azhar and member of the Islamic Research Council, concurred with Gomaa s viewpoint. What the mufti said is correct. How can you expect him to pass a ruling on something of which he does not know the details? Ashour also agreed that a topic of this nature is not within the Mufti s jurisdiction. This is a political fact, not a religious one. We must separate between religion and politics, he said, and he is not supposed to go searching for it. If it is put in front of him he will decide. Gomaa himself said, I always focus on science and that is based on the awareness of reality so we don t misjudge what we don t know and I have always advocated the scientific approach as opposed to one of superstition. The gas deal to Israel has been met with widespread condemnation in Egypt, not only because of the recipient but also due to the extremely favorable price of the contract, a fraction of the market price for natural gas. The deal began with a memorandum of understanding which was signed in 2005 and the gas started flowing between to Israel from Egypt in 2007.
