Azhari School suspends 32 students for anti-coup graffiti

The director of the Azhari Mohammad Sharawi Islamic High School in Aswan, Egypt has suspended 32 students for a week on charges of defying Egypt’s Defence Minister General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who ousted elected President Mohamed Morsi, by writing offensive slogans against him on the classroom’s blackboard and the school’s walls.

The students claim they sought the assistance of the Student Affairs representative, Sheikh Fathi Nur Al-Din Haider; however, he threatened that if they did not “shut up” they would be permanently dismissed or transferred from the school. According to the students, Haider admitted to them that he had not seen the incident but he still agreed to the sentence. The school management has also prevented the students from meeting with the district’s director during his visit to the school.

The students explained that they have complained to Al-Azhar Supreme Cleric Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, but so far they have not received any response from him, therefore they intend to complain to the Administrative Prosecution to demand their rights.

The students also described how there are many cases of corruption at their school, claiming that Haider asked them to file a malicious complaint against Mustafa Maher and Abdul Hadi, both from the school administration, as well as Mekkie Hassani, the school representative. However when they refused he threatened them with permanent expulsion. Haider suspended the Students Union elected President Mohammed Jamal Khalil who defended the students with the help of the School Sheikh, Abdul Aziz. The names of some of the students who have been suspended are listed below:

1. Mohammed Jamal Khalil: Students’ Union President
2. Islam Ali Fahmi El-Sawy
3. Mahmoud Taha Mahmoud
4. Samir Sayyid Bahr
5. Montasir Abdel Radi Metwally
6. Islam Mustafa Mohammed
7. Mohamed Nasr Mohamed
8. AlSayyid Mohammed Alsoqtai
9. Abdel-Rahman Samir Faraj
10. Muhammad Eslam Muhammad
11. Jamal Al-Arabi
12. We’am Hassan Abdul Hafeez
13. Mahmoud Abdel Rahman
14. Jamal Mohamed Othman
15. Mohamed El-Sayyed Abou El Fadl
16. Ahmed Abdel-Raouf
17. Mohamed Salah Abdel Latif
18. Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud
19. Arafa Mohammed Ali
20. Abdel Rahman Mohamed Mahmoud
21. Ayman Asouli
22. Saeed Mohammed Saeed