And Tantawi ain't the only one:
Not gonna play well in Cairo
"Lo! those who disbelieve, among the People of the Scripture and the idolaters, will abide in fire of hell. They are the worst of created beings." -- Qur'an 98:6. So why would the Grand Sheikh want to shake hands with one of them, and a wicked Zionist to boot?
"All shaken up," by Andrew M. Rosemarine for the Jerusalem Post, December 28 (thanks to James):
The leading cleric in Sunni Islam, Grand Imam Sheikh Muhammad Sayid Tantawi, rector of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, is coming under increasing pressure from Egyptian opposition forces to resign, for shaking hands with Shimon Peres, at a Saudi-sponsored UN conference in November in New York. Israel's enemies in Egypt did not like seeing a photo of their most famous sheikh being friendly with Israel's president. Hatred of Israel is particularly virulent in Egypt now, because of constant coverage of the deprivations of the citizens of Gaza."The hand that shook Peres's hand is tainted with the blood of Palestinians and reeks of the smell of their corpses," commented independent Egyptian newspaper al-Dustour recently. It called for Tantawi "to purify his hands," by resigning. The message had particular force, as it was issued on Id al-Adha, when Muslims concentrate on purification from sins. Other papers have also called for him to step down.
An Egyptian MP, Mustafa Bakri said, "This meeting was like Al-Azhar's clear normalization with the Zionist enemy... In the past, the sheikh has insisted on meeting with rabbis, with Rabbi [Yisrael Meir] Lau at the top of the list, but his meeting with the Zionist president is demeaning to all Muslims." Another MP, Hamdi Hassan, insisted Tantawi apologize to the entire world.
But...but...it was all a mistake, says the embattled Jew-hater:
TANTAWI ORIGINALLY claimed "I shook his hand without knowing what he looked like. The handshake was in passing... because I don't know him." But a photo shows them smiling at each other. Tantawi now says : "And suppose I knew him? So what... Isn't he from a country that we recognize?"Tantawi is not known for his love of Israel, and even called for jihad against it, after excavations two years ago at Temple Mount. His Islamic credentials are beyond question, but hatred of Israel is unbounded in many Islamist circles, both Sunni and Shi'ite. Clerics in the Iranian parliament have also denounced the sheikh's handshake.
To his credit, he does attend multifaith conferences. (I've met him at one myself, and he even shook my hand!) Less laudible, he is reported to have accused, on Egyptian TV, Ma'ariv's editorial staff of being "liars and sons of 60 dogs" for reporting that he had taken the initiative in approaching Peres....
"Liars and sons of 60 dogs." Well, the man can turn a phrase.
Well now... Maybe with Barack's appointment of Rahm and his hand-shaking of Peres the arabs will really get inflamed. Because for them, once you're born muslim you are ALWAYS muslim.
Can we dare to hope Barack may actually back up Israel? Just food for thought...
I'm concerned about Mohammadans who shake hands with kufrs. How do they deal with the filth?
Don't they know the skin is absorbent, and kufr juices are sucked into the unwary Mohammadans body?
Washing is too late...Never touching a kufr is the only way to maintain purity. Kufrs are the Mohammadans 'untouchables'...
Both Bandar and Abdullah have Bush juice flowing in their veins, from holding hands and smooching. I don't know how they are going to explain that to Allah. He's a little touchy about purity.
Of course this is a two way street, Bush has Mohammadan juices flowing in his veins as well, but He does not have to explain it to Allah...
At least I don't think he does...
"In the past, the sheikh has insisted on meeting with rabbis, with Rabbi [Yisrael Meir] Lau at the top of the list..."
Must be because even stray dogs like to see the face of kindness sometimes during their miserable godless lives.
In all sincerity, I'd be willing to agree to have both the Sheikh' and Peres' heads chopped off and we'll call it even.
Actually, I'm not being sincere. Peres alone will do.
I hope that you transferred all of your evil, impish jinn to the good cleric when you shook his hand, Mr. S.
Muslims are still existentialy embarrassed for having had to steal their entire religion from the Jews, and the guilt complex simmering in their souls makes them overcompensate with such irrational expressions of anal-sadistic infantile rage.
Free analysis for the day.