Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

In an interview with Mahmūd ‘Īsá, Muslim thinker Jamāl al-Bannā elaborates on many of his controversial stances and honors the Qur’ān as the only authentic point of reference for Muslims. He also declares that the divine influence of the Qur’ān is not in the human interpretation of the Qur’ānic verses, but in the influence that the word of God itself has on the listener.

Dr. Zaynab Radwān, the deputy speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly’s controversial argument about women issues under Sharī‘ah is still creating heated discussions in the lay and religious milieus in Egypt. The following lines shed light on the different arguments.

Saudi and Egyptian Muslim scholars welcome King ‘Abd Allāh Ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz’ initiative to launch an interreligious dialogue process between Islam and the other heavenly religions.

Dr. Zaynab Radwān, the deputy speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly created heated debates in Egypt when she stated that a woman’s testimony in court is equal to that of man and that the non-Muslim wife of a Muslim husband should enjoy the same rights to inherit from her husband. The controversy came about because Dr. Radwān’s suggestions do not correspond with the applied Sharī‘ah laws in Egypt.

Qandīl attacks Bishop Bīshūy, general secretary of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church and accuses him of abusing his position as a clergyman to gain power and judge the faith of people.

Dr. Mahmūd Hamdī Zaqzūq, the minister of endowments and head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, announced in a press conference that prominent scholars and political figures from different Islamic countries are expected to attend the annual conference of the council, in addition to 106 international Islamic organizations and the Vatican which will be represented by its ambassador in Egypt.

Al-Bannā continues to refute the argument that Islam abrogates earlier religions, and refutes the possible “specious arguments” that could be used against his own assertions.

Egyptian media has published abstracts from Imām’s book of revisions. The book was recently published to announce al-Jihād Islamic organization’s initiative to quell violence and lead interventions.

In the following interview, Muslim thinker Nasr Hāmid Abū Zayd discusses the present Islamic discourse, he refers to the history of the Islamic reformation in the 20^th century and points out the current defects. Abū Zayd also tackles the problems of Egyptian society and the Azhar’s relationship with the government.

In its recent book “Islam and the challenges of the 21st century,” the Gama?a Islāmīyah critiques the theory that confrontation should take place between Muslims and Christians, and East and the West. The Gama?a responded to those propagating this theory and asked Muslims not to consider any human ideas as sacred and not to follow certain mottoes and take them as unchangeable methods.