CAIRO: A coalition supporting the independence of Al-Azhar arranged a march from the Fatah Mosque in Ramses to Cairo's Tahrir Square today. Dozens of Al-Azhar members and Salafis participated in the march, which began after the noon prayer. The protestors demand Al-Azhar has a leading role and be independent. They asked Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the institution's grand imam, to support their demands. They said they are not against Al-Azhar's but want to restore the institution's leading role. Clashes broke out between worshipers at the mosque and coalition members. The march began earlier than planned to avoid further tension. "The Egyptian people want Al-Azhar to be independent from the government because religious organizations no longer represent religious opinions but governmental opinions," they said. They also said they want to develop Al-Azhar and create a system to support justice. They summarized their demands as: Al-Azhar's independene from governmental dominance; the return of great Al-Azhar scientists; merging of Islamic Dawa organizations; managing Al-Azhar organizations in accordance Islamic principals; and reforming Al-Azhar laws to match its independence. Coalition members said Al-Azhar's independence will help unify Islamic and Arab countries and will lead the Islamic and Arab worlds on important issues. It will help also in prevailing Islamic thought and stop sectarian prejudice. Al-Azhar will work as a justice scale to judge government performance, they said. It will prevent opposing Fatwas (religious statements) and it will support social coherence.
