In Egypt ... the Ministry of Awqaf monitors the accounts of imams on communication sites

Private-Al-Jazeera Net

"We monitor preachers and imams and follow their posts on social media to stop rhetoric permits and punish those who write negative posts and represent dangerous." ... Some people may think that the previous statement was issued by a security authority such as the Ministry of Interior in Egypt, but strangely enough, it is a television statement to the head of the religious sector in the Ministry of Endowments, Dr. Jaber Taya.

Taya admitted, during a telephone conversation with a program in one of the Egyptian channels a few days ago, that an electronic team in the Ministry of Awqaf was responsible for monitoring and controlling the behavior of imams electronically, threatening to dismiss anyone who offends state institutions.

He cited his speech on the incident of the dismissal of a professor at Al-Azhar University from his position as the imam of a mosque in the Ministry of Awqaf, after writing a post on Facebook calling on citizens to perform Friday prayers at home in violation of the ministry's decision to stop Friday prayers as a measure to counter the outbreak of the Corona virus.

Although the Egyptian government is moving towards lifting the ban and returning life to normal after the blessed Eid Al-Fitr, the Ministry of Awqaf is still adhering to tightening procedures, closing mosques, not broadcasting the Holy Qur’an through loudspeakers at the time of the Maghrib call to prayer or dinner, and contenting with the call to prayer in its familiar form.

With the closure of mosques and the supplication activity stopped, the Ministry of Endowments devoted itself to pursuing imams on social media, the last of which was Al-Azhar University professor Ali Muhammad Al-Azhari who said that the ministry dismissed him because he wrote a post on Facebook criticizing the Minister of Endowments, Mukhtar Jumaa.

Violation of the constitution
, legal and legal expert Wael Sayed said that "monitoring social media sites for employees or workers is a measure that is taken by dictatorial regimes and those that impede freedom of opinion and expression through these measures to expand the disciplinary authority."

He added that the Egyptian law stipulates in Article 65 that freedom of thought and opinion is guaranteed, and everyone has the right to express his opinion by saying, writing, photographing or other means of expression and publishing as long as the other opinion does not harm, yet no person in Egypt can oppose the system or the government.

The Ministry of Awqaf’s recognition of the prosecution of imams via social media came days after the ministry’s spokesperson Ahmed al-Qadi was removed from his post an hour after he made press statements to a satellite channel, saying that “the ministry will consider opening mosques to imams only during Tarawih prayers in Ramadan.”

The head of the religious sector at the Ministry of Awqaf, Dr. Jaber Taya, explained the speed of the overthrow of the former speaker of the ministry immediately after the end of his intervention, that the judge made a mistake by mentioning the word "we study", while studying this matter is entrusted to the Minister of Awqaf only.

Taya added that the idea of ​​opening mosques and the imam's prayer could lead some to storm mosques, pointing in an intervention on one of the satellite channels that it is necessary to be precise, especially since Egypt is a target, it is not acceptable to provoke any confusion.

Bad management:
"The Ministry of Awqaf did not deal well with Corona, especially during the month of Ramadan, which has special spirituality associated with the mosques," said Sheikh Abdel Fattah - in his first name - the imam of a Cairo mosque.

Abdel-Fattah added in his interview to Al-Jazeera Net that it was possible to run the Holy Quran or provide preaching through loudspeakers with the closure of mosques, which did not happen, stressing that the imam of the mosque and its employees turned into "security personnel", and their job is to ensure that the prayers of any individual inside The mosque, otherwise Khatib would be subjected to a suspension sentence.

According to the sheikh, stopping the imams because of posts on communication websites is very unfair, especially since the Imam who holds a Bachelor of Sharia law will not be able to work elsewhere if he is expelled from his work, adding that it was possible - if it was necessary - that the ministry be satisfied with any punishment other than Dismissal and suspension from work.

Although the security services and the Ministry of Endowments have tightened their supervision of the imams of mosques and threatened them with dismissal on every occasion, many imams - especially those working with the reward system - have not received their salaries since the issuance of the decisions to close mosques on March 21.