Members of the Al-Azhar body in charge of handing down fatwas said it would not return to the constituent assembly until it is given appropriate representation, after holding an urgent meeting on the issue Tuesday.
Al-Azhar withdrew its sole representative, former State Mufti Nasr Farid Wasel, on Thursday over reservations on the makeup of the body.
During the meeting of the Islamic Research Academy, which was presided over by Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, members highlighted the necessity of having all segments of society represented in the committee, with no political faction being left out. They described the writing of a new constitution as a historic moment, and said that having only one representative from Al-Azhar is unacceptable.
On Monday, Freedom and Justice Party head Mohamed Morsy and Secretary General Mohamed al-Beltagy visited Tayyeb and requested Al-Azhar return its representative to the assembly. However, the academy members insisted on its conditions after the Tuesday meeting.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
