South African Muslim group refuses to host Egypt's Grand Mufti

The South African Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) will no longer host Egypt’s Grand Mufti Dr Shawki Allam in South Africa in protest against his endorsement of the death sentences handed down to Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi.

“We fear that South African liberation movements in our country would strongly oppose and protest the visit of the mufti and his delegation, and could potentially escalate into adverse conditions for them during their intended visit,” the MJC said in a letter to the Egyptian embassy.

The MJC added that the objective of Mufti Allam’s “peace mission” was tainted by his endorsement of death sentences given to Egyptians including Morsi. All death sentences are approved by the grand mufti before they are handed out.

Zaakir Ahmed Mayet of the Media Review Network, a Johannesburg-based Muslim advocacy group, issued a statement last week calling for the South African government to launch an “investigation”, arrest and prosecute Allam.

This is not the first time that Egyptian officials have been met with such backlash. Last year Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was forced to cancel a trip to Johannesburg after lawyers filed a request for his arrest.