The Salafi Call has demanded that Culture Minister Helmy al-Namnam apologize for calling Egypt “instinctively secular”, adding that the choice of Namnam as culture minister has aroused concerns among Egyptians.
In a statement on Sunday, the organization said that the minister’s remarks to the satellite TV channel Sada el-Balad on Friday “shocked the vast majority of the Egyptian population”, adding that his statements “represent a flagrant assault on Islamic Sharia”.
"The minister should be aware that his most important role is to preserve the nation’s culture,” the statement said, adding that “secular Islam is the one promoted by America to culturally invade the Islamic World”.
The Salafi Call said that the Constitution “which the minister was sworn to respect” stipulates that the principles of Islamic Sharia are the main source of legislation. It added that Namnam’s remarks, therefore, insult judicial verdicts and institutions based on the Constitution.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
