During a televised Egyptian talk show that aired on January 18, lawyer Ahmed ‘Abdu Maher called for the “punishment of those who author books that promote strange and perverse ideas in Al Azhar.”
As with many others before him, the lawyer denounced the Islamic world’s oldest and most prestigious university for continuing to radicalize its students, who go on to see the world the same way ISIS does.
By way of example, he said: “There is a book in Al Azhar that calls for the forceful shaving of the heads of the Copts [Egypt’s indigenous Christians], placing a sign on their homes [so Muslims know where the “infidels” reside], and refusing to shake hands with them.”
As it happens, the Islamic State and similar Muslim groups all make it a point not to shake hands with “unclean” Christians—here’s another Egyptian cleric saying he finds Christians utterly “disgusting”—and to distinguish Christian homes with signs, as ISIS did when it placed the “N” (nun) letter on their homes in Mosul and elsewhere.
But even the forceful head shaving is being practiced: back in 2013, jihadi groups in Libya abducted around 100 Copts and abused them—including by shaving all their heads.
All this indicates that the worst of the worse behavior being committed by ISIS traces all the way back to Al Azhar and other mainstream schools of Muslim learning, as growing numbers of human rights activists in Egypt claim.

Adrian says
but… but… but… aren’t prestigious universities supposed to be part of this vast majority of “moderate’ voices in Islam?
gravenimage says
Egypt: Lawyer accuses Al Azhar of promoting hate for Christians
………………………….
Well, good for this decent man, who appears from his name to be Muslim.
But he’s wrong–though it is indeed perverse, there is nothing strange about Muslims identifying Christians in threatening and humiliating ways–this dates back to the very earliest diktats of dhimmitude, as least as far back as the Caliph Umar:
http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/source/pact-umar.asp
It reads in part:
“We shall show respect toward the Muslims, and we shall rise from our seats when they wish to sit.
We shall not seek to resemble the Muslims by imitating any of their garments, the qalansuwa, the turban, footwear, or the parting of the hair. We shall not speak as they do, nor shall we adopt their kunyas…
We shall clip the fronts of our heads.
We shall always dress in the same way wherever we may be, and we shall bind the zunar round our waists…”
All of these are meant to identify and humiliate Christians–as well as single them out for periodic violence and the extraction of Jizya.
Michael Copeland says
Here’s an idea: wear a yellow star at a Trump rally. That’ll show ‘em.
Angemon says
gravenimage posted:
“Well, good for this decent man, who appears from his name to be Muslim.”
He seems to be old enough to have grown up with the notion of pan-arabism, so the idea of discriminating against fellow Arabs for religious reasons is probably completely alien to him. Still, as pointed out, it’s standard islam, not some sort of “radical”, “hijacked” or “warped” perversion.
Huck Folder says
Rather than pan arabism,
why not pan mohammedanism?
Jack says
Quick talking Barack only thinks he and Jeh will forever be able to pull out =perversion, unnatural practice of Islam by IS as not being Islam over on Americans with the aid of Media and some Clergy. All that people who know anything about the Middle East need to do is simply explain the application of Sharia Law in Saudi Arabia and Iran the 2 Standard Bearers of Sunni & Shiite Islam mixed with some video of Friday public beheadings, list the number of Capital punishments for Apostasy, Blasphemy, and to be Gay and total number period. Show the video of flexible boy wonder bowing so I thought he was going to touch the floor. If you look at the King’s expression even he did a double take on it.
Jack Diamond says
“Strange and perverse ideas” from the mind of Muhammad only.
“It was Islam, at places like Al-Azhar that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment.”–Obama at Al-Azhar 2009
A few illustrious alumni who have carried the light of that learning into our time:
Abdullah Azzam, founder of Al Qaeda, Masters in Sharia, Ph.D Islamic fiqh; Blind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, in prison for WTC1; Tariq Ramadan; Yusuf Al-Qaradawi; Ahmed Yassin, founder of Hamas; Haj Amin-al-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, war criminal; Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, former head of the OIC: Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, Palestinian terrorist-hero; Suhaib Webb-Imam of the Islamic Society of Boston.
Animal House, Islamic style.
Huck Folder says
If islam had never existed, would the works of the Greeks not have come to Europe, in their original form?
DFD says
They already were in Europe. As was and is Greece, and Byzantium/Constaninople.
And there were copies in the Libraries in Spain (Before the Muslims bunrt most of them, keeping just the ones they thought be useful for military, medical and politcal developments.) They were in other libraries too, They dark ages was a rather short period, and the people of the middle ages were definitely not stupid.
It was indeed a golden age, not of Islam though, but FOR islam. That barbaric, backward and primitive filth actually managed to learn something. Not much though.
Jay Boo says
If only Obama would give another Cairo speech telling Muslims how absolutely wonderful and extra special they are, they would stop behaving like dirty dogs.
—- or maybe that would incite them even more.
Blurb1000 says
I don’t understand how anyone can connect the two words university and Islam together?
Vlad says
Yep, I had the same thoughts 🙁
Islam + University = oxymoron
Huck Folder says
How about Die Versity?
(That’s English ‘kick the bucket’
not the German feminine definite article)
Sam says
Al Azhar should be banned it was built by the the Shia fatimid caliphate in Cairo centuries ago. No wonder why texts there explain many things like this.
gravenimage says
It is not just Shi’ites who hate Christians, Sam–this is a fundamental part of *all* Islam.
Al Azhar is now the seat of Sunni learning, and it is just the same.
Sam says
I know It changed from Shia to Sunni after the Fatimids. In other words next Islamic ruler of Egypt after the Fatimids.
Mazo says
The Fatimids were Ismaili Shia. They were not Twelver Shia (the sect in Iran).
Nizari Ismailis are now all modernized and westernized. Their leader Aga Khan is the product of European socialities, models, and Hollywood and he bangs European models. His mother and gradmother are all western. He married his daughter to a Christian. They don’t pray or fast during Ramadan anymore.
I doubt you can find a Nizari Ismaili who hates Christians.
DFD says
Sam says “Al Azhar should be banned it was…”
Dear Sam, it seems your speelcheeker was misfunctioning. I am sure you meant to say: ‘…should be phosphored…”
خَليفة says
Muslims are indeed “special” and for followers of islam it is best to be ignorant, don’t ask don’t tell – IF you don’t know, then its ok, Allah approves.
“… If a liquid falls on a person and he does not know if it was water or urine, he need not inquire about it. If he does inquire, the one who is asked need not answer him even if he knows that the liquid is impure. In that case, the person need not wash his clothes. …”
http://www.iium.edu.my/deed/lawbase/fiqh_us_sunnah/vol1/fsn_vol1a.html
Georg says
There needs to be a mass-printing of Korans where every reference to beliefs/faiths which are not Islam, non-Muslims, or behavior which is un-Islamic is replaced with “Islam”, “Muslim/s”, and “Islamic”. We will gauge their reaction to the book and ask them why it is ours should be any different. At which point we’ll have to explain that there never really was a magic space pony and on and on and we’ll get nowhere. Nevermind. Carry on.
Matthieu Baudin says
Ahmed Abdu Maher is another brave Egyptian who has decided not to leave all the work for reform in the hands of President Sisi. Hopefully, as a lawyer, his chances of staying out of prison are better than so many other hapless courageous journalists and community figures.
Nimrod says
Unfortunately if he can’t explain why “strange and perverse ideas” are strange and perverse according to Islamic scripture then I’m afraid he has little chance to change anything.
There are so many strange and perverse ideas in Islam with so little in Islamic scripture to contradict them that there is little to no hope of changing anything. Islam has solidified into such a completely static form that there would seem to be little hope of unfreezing it.
While we’ve seen specific criticism of Islam, I haven’t seen anyone suggesting a reopening of the “doors of inquiry” which would be a prerequisite for any suggested changes in Islamic doctrines. El Sisi hasn’t suggested this either so it’s difficult to see how anything can be expected to change.
Baucent says
Evidence that not all muslims want to live in a theocracy but rather prefer a secular state.