Egypt

Activists accuse Alexandria imam of inciting hatred against liberals

Lawyers and activists accused a Salafi imam of inciting hatred against liberals and secularists during prayers at one of the biggest mosques in Alexandria.

Several internet activists in Alexandria also launched an electronic campaign on Friday to call on Hatem al-Waer, imam of Qaed Ibrahim mosque, to apologize. Their Facebook campaign gathered more than 500 supporters in two days.

Security sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Sunday that a report was filed against Waer that called for his suspension from work and the appointment of a moderate, Al-Azhar-graduated imam instead.

In their report, the activists also asked that Waer be summoned to a police station to pledge that he will not discuss politics during prayers.

Meanwhile, Waer deleted from the recordings on his website the part of his prayers that attacked liberals and secularists.

Liberals and secularists disagree with Islamists regarding government plans to issue a new constitutional declaration.

The declaration will determine the criteria for choosing members of the panel which will be tasked with writing Egypt's new constitution. Panel members will be elected from the parliament.

Many liberals and secularists fear that Islamists could control the new parliament, and therefore the panel which will draft the constitution.

Translated from the Arabic Edition

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