The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) has called on Egypt's general prosecutor to investigate a Salafi fatwa justifying the killing of Mohamed ElBaradei. The former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief was earlier this year widely touted as a potential presidential candidate.
The EOHR warned of "growing numbers of religious edicts" that call for the killing of intellectuals and opposition members, including the recent one justifying the killing of ElBaradei, head of the National Association for Change, a movement which pushes for political reform within Egypt.
In a statement, EOHR condemned the fatwa issued by Mahmoud Amer, head of the al-Sunna al-Mohamadiya religious group in Beheira. “ElBaradei incites civil unrest,” states the edict. “For this, the temporal rulers, represented by the government and President Hosni Mubarak, have the right to kill him if he does not desist.”
The EOHR statement called on intellectuals to challenge such calls, which historically authorized the assassinations of former President Anwar Sadat and the intellectual Farag Fouda, and the attempted assassination of novelist Naguib Mahfouz.
The EOHR called on the general prosecutor to “strictly apply the law to those who issue religious edicts permitting the killing of people, which spread fear among citizens.”
Hafez Abu Seida, head of the EOHR, said: “This edict is harmful to Islam. The phenomenon of people imposing their trusteeship on Egyptian society must be overcome.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
