Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

The Coptic Orthodox Church would choose Coptic men of law to participate in the constituent assembly that would write a new constitution for Egypt but would exclude the clergy, a source at the papal office said on condition of anonymity. ['Abd al-Wahāb Sha'bān, al-Wafd, March 5, p. 3] Read text in Arabic

Dr. ‘Abd al-Mu‘tī Bayyūmī writes about the danger of rigidity in religion in modern times.

Shaykh Yūsuf al-Qaradāwī denies that the Qur’ān has texts with presumptive and indisputable passages and ones that call non-Muslims kafīr.

The Azhar is experiencing a controversy between scholars who call for the purification of fiqh heritage and those who believe fiqh already contains rules of extended applications and that no scholar now is able to understand such rules.

While the majority of Muslims call to boycott The Netherlands because of the offensive movie ’Fitna,’ some extremists attacked Dutch interests in certain countries. However, Dr, ‘Alī Jum‘ah, the muftī of Egypt explained the way he reacted: “I carried the Glorious Qur’ān, kissed it and read it for over an hour.”’

A number of Muslim scholars and intellectuals were hosted by al-Musawwar to discuss the current state of Muslim-Christian/Muslim-West relations in lieu of the controversial Dutch movie ’Fitna.’ The attendees gave their opinions about intereligious dialogue, highlighting both the positive and the negative points.

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.

Zainab Abd al-Allāh comments on an article that promoted the marriage of Muslim women to Christian males. She cites the views of some Muslim scholars on this issue.

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.

The assertion of political freedom and the electoral and democratic transformation in the Muslim world does not mean the blind acceptance of Western forms of democracy. Islamic democracy is bound to and directed by Sharī‘ah.