The Salafi-led Nour Party called on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to cancel the tests carried out by the Ministry of Endowments to evaluate the performance of imams who deliver sermons at mosques.
Nour Party added that the Minister of Endowments Mohamed Gomaa has infringed the powers of other state authorities by grabbing legislative powers and applying tests on sheikhs who he disagrees with politically.
The party objected to the law saying the Ministry of Endowments should be an administrative, not a legislative, authority in accordance with the Constitution, and Al-Azhar is the only Islamic entity responsible for evaluating sheikhs.
Most of the Salafi sheikhs who deliver sermons at mosques have graduated from Al-Azhar, which qualifies them to ascend pulpits, said Nour Party leader Salah Abdel Maaboud.
The oral and written tests carried out by the Ministry of Endowments for sheikhs have political goals, Abdel Maaboud stressed.
The decision of the minister of endowments will lead to further divisions in the community, Abdel Maaboud said. He called the minister of endowments for a public debate.
Salafis who obtained degrees from Al-Azhar have the right to deliver sermons at mosques in accordance with the Constitution, Abdel Maaboud mentioned. He accused the minister of endowments of grabbing legislation powers and enacting laws that serve his political ideas.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
