Muslim preacher Safwat Hegazy, who has been campaigning for the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsy, said it is against religion to elect a presidential candidate who wants to establish a state based on liberalism, secularism, communism or socialism.
During Friday prayers in Nagda Mosque in Nagaa Hammadi, Qena, Hegazy called on people not to elect a candidate who participated in the injustice and the corruption of the former regime or who even remained silent watching the injustice and corruption of Hosni Mubarak and his entourage.
Hegazy said voters should choose the candidate who would apply Sharia and “who would be living in Cairo, but would tremble in fear [of God] if asked about a hungry person in Nag Hammadi.”
He described the elections as a testimony before God and a great responsibility, and said: “If you choose a man who corrupted the country, you will be responsible with him for his corruption and will be held accountable with him [before God]. But if you choose a man who abides by the law of God and establishes justice, you will be rewarded with him. Everyone will be held accountable [by God] if the next president is ill-chosen, and we should not blame but ourselves.”
Hegazy stressed that participating in the elections is a religious duty and that not voting or invalidating one's vote is against religion. He added that buying votes is a “great sin.”
“We want a president who we can tell, ‘Fear God and His law and judge according to His Book.’ We want a president who will free Palestine and Jerusalem to tell the world that the law of God has returned in Egypt,” he said.
A large number of Brotherhood members and Morsy supporters were reportedly attending the sermon, passing out campaign flyers.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
