Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

The rejection as well as the publishing of that report in this very manner disturbed Sawirus, now that the reasons for this rejection have rubbed salt in his wounds – the senior members of the council reportedly declined to have their conference held under the auspices of a man who made fun of Islam.

Some of the Sufi orders who actually support Sawirus have also been alarmed by the news as top members stressed the need that the news must be denied on the grounds that it was not to their interests to lose a heavyweight businessman like Sawirus.

Lately, the ties between Sawirus and Grand Shaykh of the Azhar Dr. Ahmad al-Tayīb were not at their best. Sawirus had visited Tayīb at his office after the bombing attacks that targeted the Two Saints Church in the northern Egyptian Mediterranean city of Alexandria and even kissed his hands in a sign of veneration of the role by the Azhar Shaykh.

However, after Sawirus' repeated childish excesses, the Shaykh, himself a Sufi, was alarmed to the degree that he did not invite Sawirus, at least in his capacity as leader of the Free Egyptians Party, to the Azhar-hosted conference to launch its reconciliation document.

[Reviewer's note: The original article in Arabic has no link on the Internet]