Egypt: anti-Brotherhood cleric accuses government of 'fighting Islam'

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An Egyptian cleric known for his opposition of the Muslim Brotherhood and support for the July 3 military coup slammed the latest government decision to limit Ramadan night prayer time to 45 minutes, saying it shows the government’s “anti-religion” agenda.

Sheikh Ahmed Karima, professor of Sharia at Al-Azhar University, criticized the ministries of interior and endowments for imposing a limited duration for prayers in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “By taking such decisions, the state is acting against religion, or as the Brotherhood puts it, is fighting Islam.”

He also turned against the ministry of religious endowments, accusing it of crackdown on mosques.

Karima warned that decisions like these would dissuade people from acts of worship in Ramadan. “They would go instead to cafes to smoke shisha, or would stay at home and watch porn movies,” he said.

“The national security apparatus is supposedly tasked with monitoring explosives, not mosques,” he said.

“Are we back to the Habib al-Adly days?” he wondered.