Date of source: Tuesday, November 30, 2004
In an interview with the Minister of Awqaf [Religious Endowments] Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq, he answers questions about foreign interference in Islamic issues in Egypt, renewal of religious discourse.
Date of source: Saturday, October 16, 2004
October magazine questioned the minister of Awqaf, Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq, on a number of issues related to Islamic Da’wa [call to Islam] and other religious matters.
Date of source: Friday, October 8, 2004
Some western mass media consider mosques and Islamic centers in Europe and the United States as "latent enemy cells.” Dr. Sherif Al-Gindi, Director of Islamic Da’wa (call to Islam) in North America, said the US interest in mosques increased after the 9/11 incidents but that was not out of an honest...
Date of source: Friday, October 8, 2004
The propaganda war waged against Islam in Europe and the West has taken several shapes in order to attain its objectives, like intensification, repetition and exaggeration so that a news item remains a burning issue, haunts minds all the time and forms a public opinion in a way that intensifies...
Date of source: Sunday, September 26, 2004
The Egyptian church issued statements stressing that it has nothing to do with archpriest Zakariya Botros, whose name became associated with a series of problems he caused through discussing faith-related matters. In spite of this, books authored by Archpriest Botros are sold in Christian bookshops...
Date of source: Monday, September 20, 2004
It is now certain that the fans of the renowned Qur'an reciter Muhammad Gebril will be deprived of the pleasure of listening to his prayers and recitals during Ramadan. Gebril was notified that he would not be able to lead prayers at the mosque of Amr Ibn Al-'As during the last ten days of Ramadan...
Date of source: Thursday, September 9, 2004
Dr. Youssef Al-Qaradawi expressed his appreciation and all Muslims’ appreciation of the Azhar as the greatest Islamic reference. In an exclusive statement to Al-Liwaa Al-Islami, Al-Qaradawi denied that the World Union of Muslims Scholars whose creation was announced last month in London would...
Date of source: Thursday, September 9, 2004
Despite the fact that security campaigns mainly target those affiliated with the Islamic movement, you will find that many religious people are not enthusiastic about civil rights. Many of them see democracy as heresy and look suspiciously upon the multi-party system.
• See art. 4: Criticism of...
Date of source: Saturday, September 4, 2004
The number of Muslims in Western Europe ranges from 12 to 15 million, which makes Islam the second largest religion in Europe and the fastest growing religion in the case of the US. However, the future of European Muslims depends on their ability to correctly understand Islam and behave in a way...
Date of source: Thursday, September 2, 2004
An Azhar professor sent the sheikh of the Azhar a report about the encyclopedia of the World of Religions, noting the mistakes and dangers of this encyclopedia that contains a number of errors that offend the Islamic religion. The encyclopedia did not list any names of authors, the publisher or...
Date of source: Saturday, September 4, 2004
People should not practice Islamic da’wa [call to Islam] unless they meet certain requirements. Those who stand on the podium of the prophet Muhammad [by calling people to embrace Islam] should have certain characteristics that are the essence of religion and not alien to it. If that person [who...
Date of source: Monday, August 30, 2004
On August 30, “Al Manar Al Gadeed” magazine published an article written by Aboud Al-Zomor about reform in Egypt. The article is particularly significant because Al-Zomor was a main participant in the assassination of [former president] Anwar Al-Sadat. Al-Zomor’s article differs from what the Gama’...
Date of source: Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Sayyed Qutb’s book “Ma’leem fi Al-Tariq” [Milestones] is still the source of inspiration of Islamists around the world. The Muslim Brotherhood tried to deny any connection between itself and Qutb’s book, in spite of the fact that they would always refute any criticism directed to the book.
Date of source: Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Professor Muhammad Abdel Halim has dedicated the last seven years of his life to completing a new translation of the Qur’an published by Oxford University Press.
All prior translators of the Qur’an employed the use of old English, but Abdel Halim uses modern English, which makes his translation of...
Date of source: Friday, August 13, 2004
We have to make a clear distinction between the problems our Muslim nation and culture have been suffering for centuries and the western demands regarding our religious education and Islamic discourse. Genuine renewal allows us to keep religious fundamentals as they are while developing a new...
Date of source: Tuesday, August 3, 2004
When the American film (what’s the name of the film?) that narrates in detail the story of the prophet Muhammad was aired on the official PBS (Public Broadcasting System) for the first time, it caused much controversy. The film portrays Islam’s relationship to other religions: For every nation,...
Date of source: Friday, June 7, 2002
The stereotyped picture of Muslim preachers is no longer acceptable in the age of globalization. Arabic satellite channels propagated a new generation of preachers known as young preachers. Analysts say that the phenomenon of young preachers has nothing to do with the decrease in the activities of...
Date of source: Tuesday, November 19, 2002
The Ministry of Waqfs stipulated new terms for building mosques. Some people believe they are necessary to end building mosques at random and to preserve their civilized appearance. Others believe they put restraints on the freedom of building mosques and mix between state-run and non-governmental...
Date of source: Friday, April 5, 2002
Many Muslim preachers are not religiously or academically qualified. In their religious discourse, they speak about nothing but torture in grave. Most of them preach politics instead of preaching religion – which is the thing that most badly affects the religious discourse. The Minister of Waqfs...
Date of source: Sunday, December 1, 2002
Egyptian secularists hailed the departure of Amr Khaled to London. Supporters of Khaled call for his return to Egypt and try to persuade authorities to revoke the actions taken against him. Coincidentally a young actress retracted her decision to retire from acting and the wearing of a veil....
Date of source: Monday, December 2, 2002
Swiss researcher Dr. Patrick Haenni writes that what new preachers are facing shows that they are still seeking a place for themselves in the world of preaching in Egypt. Some Azhar sheikhs accuse them of inefficiency. Leaders of political Islam consider them as their competitors. Their only chance...
Date of source: Friday, March 1, 2002
It is necessary for Muslim men of religion to have their own uniform, as a way of protecting Islam against the swindlers who deform its image and deceive people by their false teachings. The idea of the uniform does not mean giving preference to men of religion over other Muslims and it does not...
Date of source: Wednesday, March 3, 2004
Dr. Kariman Ibrahim mentioned in her book “Al-Ekhwan Al-Muslimun min Hassan Al-Banna ela Sayyed Qutb” [The Muslim Brotherhood from Hassan Al-Banna to Sayyed Qutb] some of the tactics the Brotherhood applied in carrying out terrorist attacks.
Date of source: Wednesday, March 31, 2004
In a meeting yesterday with the members of the Rotary Egypt clubs, Dr. Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq, Egyptian Minister of Awqaf [Religious Endowments], denied any incidence of foreign orders to renew the religious discourse. He confirmed that renewing the religious discourse is an genuine Islamic cause.
Date of source: Monday, April 12, 2004
Women preachers go onto the metro and say loud do’aa [prayers] and ask women on board to repeat after them. Now, the phenomenon has developed. Now women preachers are giving religious lessons in the metro. • See article 4: Renewal of religious discourse has not been successful for the last 1500...
Date of source: Sunday, April 4, 2004
The American administration attributes terrorism to culture and faith—especially Islamic faith. The lack of terrorist events during a long period of time in the Islamic culture’s history is evidence that the Islamic culture is not a reason for the terrorism that is currently taking place. So if...
Date of source: Monday, April 19, 2004
The women preachers worked actively last week in the underground carriages to collect signatures of women to support a petition against commercials and video clips in which girls dance in a sensual way.
The woman preachers tell the women that they belong to Al-Amein Institute for Preparing...
Date of source: Saturday, May 1, 2004
The Muslim Brotherhood uses Islam for their own interest. Their latest initiative [Democratic Reform Initiative] makes the group seem as if it were God’s chosen leadership. They claim that they hold the keys to the true teachings of Islam. That is why, they claim, everybody should rally round them.
Date of source: Monday, May 3, 2004
A lot of youth in Upper Egypt joined the Islamic group of Al-Tabligh wa Al-Da’wa. These youths claim that they are preaching the ways of God, but they have no credentials that qualify them to preach. The members of the group in fact do not care about politics and the regime. They belittle the...
Date of source: Saturday, May 8, 2004
Official reports have confirmed that 75 percent of Egyptians are ignorant about their religion. Do all of these belong to true Islam? This is an issue for all Muslims and not only Egyptians.
A study stressed the fact that Muslims focus on superficial appearances and rituals without being aware...
Date of source: Monday, May 10, 2004
The phenomenon of the new preachers who were imposed on us as muftis is worthy of thorough examination. We need to know where those preachers received their training and how many accredited books each of them has authored? We need to know whether a preacher is able to give fatwas. Everybody has the...
Date of source: Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Salah Shady, one of the prominent Brotherhood leaders wrote, “Hassan Al-Banna [founder of the Muslim Brotherhood] was the good seed for Islamic thought and Sayyed Qutb was the good fruit.” The life of Sayyed Qutb witnessed many conversions and unlimited mysteries.
Qutb knew how to love and how to...
Date of source: Friday, May 7, 2004
Abu Al-Ela Madi denied that the Brotherhood is the source of Al-Wasat [the middle] Party's ideology and program as asserted by the Brotherhood supreme guide. "The Brotherhood is an all-inclusive da'wa-oriented, reform group while we are a civil, political party specialized in politics and political...
Date of source: Friday, May 28, 2004
The British scholar and researcher Montgomery Watt sees that the merits and characteristics of Islam, the Messenger of Islam and the Holy Qur’an give Islam its unique status in comparison with other religions.
The Qur’an is unequaled because it is the direct divine revelation that was not ever...
Date of source: Thursday, June 3, 2004
Dr. Youssef Al-Qaradawi objected to future Jewish participation in the Islamic-Christian Dialogue Conference that took place in Doha. “We have witnessed a lot of oppression from the Jews,” Al-Qaradawi said, “how could there be a meeting between us while the problem [of Palestine] is still ongoing?...
Date of source: Monday, June 7, 2004
The idea of sending a “caravan” to other countries with the aim of “correcting the image of Muslims and Arabs in the West” seems like an uncivilized and outdated action in today’s world. Today, any event can be aired live via satellite channels, and seen simultaneously in other parts of the world....
Date of source: Sunday, June 13, 2004
I was very much astonished when Dr. Ayman Sabri Farag or Abu Gaffar Al-Masry Al-Kandahari told me “During the time of violent incidents in Upper Egypt, I felt very distressed. In his opinion, these incidents ‘tarnish the image of Islam and turn people away from it.’ These incidents do away with...
Date of source: Monday, June 28, 2004
In a study published in Al-Manar [the Minaret] Magazine under the title “the transitions of the Egyptian Islamic movement and its future”, Dr. Kamal Al-Sa’id Habib, a political researcher and one of the founders of the Jihad group, reviews the history of the Islamic movement in Egypt since the...
Date of source: Thursday, July 8, 2004
Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdel Aziz Ale [إل ] Al-Sheikh, the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Awqaf, Da’wa, and Guidance, revealed that some mosque preachers in Saudi Arabia are supporting the ideologies of misled, deviated groups. Addressing a gathering of preachers and imams at the Saudi...
Date of source: Saturday, July 10, 2004
A Saudi fatwa that permits mutilating the bodies of the dead has outraged religious figures, especially those who are involved in the field of Da’wa [Islamic missionary activity]. They unanimously agree that Islam respect humans whether they are alive or dead.
Date of source: Wednesday, January 21, 2004
The article presents the views of Sameh Eid, who once belonged to
the Brotherhood’s younger generation. Eid criticized the ideologies and practices of the Muslim
Brotherhood in his book “Al-Ekhwan al-Muslimun…al-Hader wa al-Mustaqbal…Awraq fi al-Naqd al-Zati”
[The Muslim Brotherhood…The Present...
Date of source: Saturday, January 24, 2004
The article is about Tareq Ramadan, the grandson of Sheikh Hassan Al-Banna, who established
the Muslim Brotherhood.
Tareq Ramadan is an intellectual who has enlightened points of
view and the power to convince others. Ramadan leads the Muslims in France through a moderate
Islamic thought. He...
Date of source: Wednesday, January 28, 2004
The article is the second part of the overview of the book “Al-
Ekhwan Al-Muslimun…Al-Hader wa Al-Mustaqbal…Awraq fi Al-Naqd Al-Zaty” [The Muslim Brotherhood…The
Present and the Future…Papers of Self-criticism] by Sameh Eid, who used to be a member of the
Brotherhood’s younger generation.
The...
Date of source: Tuesday, February 3, 2004
The author
explains that Islam in Egypt is highly esteemed by both the followers of Muhammad and the
followers of other religions all around the world. This estimation is due to the fact that Islam
in Egypt is characterized by purity and tolerance within different Islamic schools. Al-Azhar...
Date of source: Friday, January 30, 2004
The article is an interview with one of the prominent
intellectual Islamic leaders, Dr. Abdullah Hassan Barakat, head of the department of comparative
religions and doctrines, Faculty of Islamic Da’wa, Azhar University. Dr. Barakat affirms the
necessity of extending bridges of culture, co-...
Date of source: Sunday, February 1, 2004
The article is an interview with
the Minister of Awqaf [Endowments] Dr. Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq. Dr. Zaqzouq spoke about the new
Muslim preachers, the claim that his ministry force preachers to use certain written sermons and
other issu
Date of source: Friday, February 20, 2004
The Grand Imam of Al Azhar Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi
confirmed that the veil is an Islamic obligation and whoever denies it is considered an apostate.
During the meeting of the head authority of the International Islamic Council for Da’wa and
Relief, he said that dealing with the French veil ban...
Date of source: Wednesday, April 14, 2004
The professor of Philosophy and Islamic Doctrine at the Azhar
University Dr. Sa’ad Eddin Saleh states in his book titled “Al-Ekhwan Al-Muslimoun…ela Ayn?" [The
Muslim Brotherhood: To Where?] that the problem of the Muslim Brotherhood is the leadership. This
problem started after the death of the...
Date of source: Wednesday, February 9, 2005
We are facing a current phenomenon about the appearance of religious parties clad in political attire during a fragile time of political reform
Date of source: Thursday, February 3, 2005
The Director of the Islamic Culture Department at the Faculty of Dacwa, al-Azhar University, Dr. Zakī Muhammad cUthmān believes technological development is a blessing that we should make the best use of to firmly establish the right values and culture.
Date of source: Saturday, January 22, 2005
The Azhar carries two missions since it was established; a spiritual and an educational one. A recent study by the national councils discussing the educational process in -Azhar faculties and higher institutions affirmed the need for revitalization in order to prepare missionaries able to handle...
Date of source: Wednesday, December 19, 2001
Ayman Al-Zawahri accused the Muslim Brotherhood of avoiding jihad and negativity in his book "Fersan taht rayet el-nabiy" [Knights under the Flag of the Prophet]. The article gives the comments of the leaders and prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood on that accusation.
Date of source: Saturday, December 8, 2001 to Friday, December 14, 2001
It is noticeable that the nicknames terrorists chose for themselves are old Islamic names. The choice of such old Islamic names is not a fashion followed by terrorists. It indicates their aspiration for escaping to an Islamic utopia. In addition, such names link them with past they glorify and want...
Date of source: Saturday, December 8, 2001 to Friday, December 14, 2001
The Islamic da’wa was badly affected as it has been carried out by people who concentrate on the appearance rather than the core of religion. Islam will not benefit from people who travel to Europe and America wearing short white gallabiyas, sitting on the ground licking their fingers after having...
Date of source: Monday, December 3, 2001
The deputy of the US Secretary of State suggested financing the Muslim Imams [preachers] who reject terrorism and agree with the freedom of religions. She suggested providing billions of dollars in finance in order to establish a number of regional centers for religious dialogue. The aim is to...
Date of source: Sunday, December 2, 2001
The Dialogue of Civilizations conference, organized by the Arab League, provided the opportunity to discuss new practical ideas and suggestions in order to help the process of dialogue between Islam and the West. Still, there is a problem concerning how to turn such suggestions into practical...
Date of source: Friday, November 23, 2001
According to Sheikh Youssef Al-Qaradawi, there are three kinds of kufr [unbelief]. There is atheism [elhad], which is a total denial of the existence of the Almighty God. There is polytheism [shirk], which means believing in more than one god. The third kind is the denial of Islam and the message...
Date of source: Tuesday, November 20, 2001
Sheikh Khalid Al-Gindi said that the Islamic telephone line service was halal and that the Sheikh of Azhar said that the service was a good and permissible activity. He added that Amr Khalid was a phenomenon worth studying and that those who criticize him could not criticize a belly dancer.
Date of source: Tuesday, November 13, 2001
The author speaks about the absent role of the Islamic religious institution and gives his perception of the role it should play. He believes that the Islamic religious institution is not able to spread an awareness of Islam in the West, which believes Islam to be the new enemy of western...
Date of source: Wednesday, August 8, 2001
Nawal Al-Sa’adawi will file a suit against Al-Midan paper, which she stressed misinterpreted the interview it ran with her, and against Nabih Al-Wahish who filed a hisba case against her to separate her from her husband. In the article she explained how Al-Midan misconstrued her opinions about...