Jama’a al-Islamiya and some prominent Salafi figures called for a million-man protest in Tahrir Square to urge the release of Omar Abdel Rahman, the spiritual leader of the the group who is imprisoned in the US, having been convicted of attacks in New York in 1993.
At a forum on Saturday, the group said the protest will be organized in coordination with the 25 January Revolution Youth Coalition and will call for the release of all political prisoners.
Abdel Rahman’s son, Abdel Akher Hammad, described the condition of his father and said he has never spared an effort to defend political prisoners. He urged everyone to cooperate for his father’s release, saying it is a religious obligation. A member of the group’s shura council, he said the US and the ousted Egyptian regime conspired together to trump up charges against his father.
Abdel Monem al-Shahhat, a spokesperson for the Salafi movement, said all Islamists have met to issue a call to officials to free Abdel Rahman, adding that his release would be a political gain, support national unity and calm the fears of Islamists.
Montasser al-Zayyat, a lawyer for Islamic groups, said Abdel Rahman and other jailed Islamists deserve a million-man protest to push for their release.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
