Egypt’s grand mufti legalises use of contraceptives to limit population growth

Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Abdel-Karim Allam has announced that the use of contraceptives was “permissible and does not cause any harm to the family or women” and can be used to control population growth.

Allam added that there was “no problem in taking steps to maintain development and achieve positive goals for the family and the state.”

The country’s Health and Population Committee yesterday discussed the country’s population growth, with members saying there “should be one entrusted body to manage the population problem,” stressing that a “competent authority must be unified to manage the matter.”

With over 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa, the Middle East, and the Arab world, the third-most populous in Africa (after Nigeria and Ethiopia), and the fourteenth-most populous in the world.

For decades, Egyptian authorities have urged Egyptians not to bear as many children to deter the growing population.

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has blamed the economic deterioration of the country on the large population, warning Egyptians not to have more than two children to keep costs on the state down.

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