CAIRO - Male self-appointed preachers have invaded the Cairo Underground Metro, where they give sermons emphasising a myriad of virtues that range from prayers to the advantage of wearing the veil. Ahmed Khalil Sanad, a bearded man whose face has become very familiar on the metro these days, is usually seen aboard the last carriage of the Helwanbound train lecturing the passengers on the need to pray more than the obligatory five times a day, or how the world will come to an end on doomsday. "I like his lectures because he tells me how to become a good Muslim," says 17- year-old Eman, a veiled student attending the Faculty of Law, Ain Shams University in Cairo. Eman, who rides the metro from Manshiyat el-Sadr Station in eastern Cairo everyday after classes to go to her home in Ghamra in central Cairo said that she liked the lecture because the bearded man wants to give the passengers some instructions and religious stories to make them better Muslims. Sanad, a self-styled preacher, said that he was an ordinary Muslim, who had decided to take it upon himself to offer religious lectures to the metro passengers to remind them of Islam and its virtues. With his loud voice and holding a copy of the Holy Qur'an, Sanad advises women and men to stop dating, observe prayer times and order their female family members to wear the veil. "I am proud of giving these 'free' religious lectures, which give advice to Muslims and others. I want them to complete the perfect picture of Muslims," Sanad, who strongly refused to be photographed, or reveal his original job, told The Egyptian Gazette. However, some Coptic passengers have expressed alarm at Sanad's lectures, which they said “sometimes” target non- Muslims. Maged Mekhail, a Christian student with a cross tattooed on his wrist, said that he was offended when 'that man' criticised the Copts. "The officials should do something to stop these self-appointed preachers, who are now an everyday occurrence on the metro cars," Mekhail, a student attending the Faculty of Commerce, said, wondering what the reaction of his fellow Muslim metro passengers will be like if a Coptic man gives a speech about Christian values. Sanad defends his “daily metro mission” by saying that he has adopted a moderate approach to preach the values of Islam and never intended to offend 'his non-Muslim brothers and sisters' by any means. Ibrahim Mohmed Amer, a student attending the Faculty of Science and a metro commuter, said that he had a different view of what Sanad is doing. "Preaching is a professional job, which needs extensive training and approval from Al-Azhar, the highest seat of Sunni Islam learning in the world. It graduates professional clergymen, who know Islam well and understand how to talk to the people," Ibrahim said, wondering whether persons, like Sanad, had received a formal training and a licence from Al-Azhar to practise this 'sensitive job' on the metro. He said that some strict self-styled preachers on the metro could make people be afraid of religion, or do not follow its instructions all together. In the meantime, many humble passengers welcome Sanad's easy-to-understand lectures as a realistic da'awa (call), which helps Muslims understand their religion and remember its values while riding the metro. "This sheikh is good because he is trying to deliver a message in a good manner, without shaming you," says Amina, an old local woman taking the metro from el-Marg to visit her sick son at a hospital near Ramsis Station. “I like Sanad's lecture because it advises young people to avoid impious behaviour,” she adds.
