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Religious endowment minister closes 1,000 mosques in Alexandria

February 5, 2014 at 2:12 am

Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Endowments (Waqf) has ordered the closure of 1,000 mosques in Alexandria. The order from Minister Mohammed Mokhtar Juma affects mosques of 80 square metres or less in size and has angered many worshippers in the city.


The director of Alexandria’s mosques, Sheikh Al-Ansari Saad Amara, has been given 72 hours in which to implement the closure order. People in the city denounced the closures, claiming that “tomorrow, Egypt will be a country without mosques”.

The move, claimed the authorities, is meant to prevent non-authorised speakers from using the pulpit to address local people. “Only mosque Imams will be allowed to lead the prayers and speak in the mosques,” said an official.