Thousands of Sufi followers on Saturday organized a march from the Saleh al-Jaafari Mosque to the new headquarters of Al-Azhar’s chiefdom in Cairo’s Gamalya district, to celebrate the occasion of Mawlid al-Nabawi (The birth of the Prophet Mohamed).
The followers carried signboards showing the names of their movements and flags colored red, green yellow and black, chanting Sufi songs amid strict security measures.
The Egyptian security bodies changed the route of march to the new headquarters of the chiefdom, instead of marching to Husayn mosque, in order to ensure tighter security.
The chief of Security Directorate in Minya Mahmoud Khalel warned the people and the religious sects organizing the random marches to preserve stability and prevent any riots.
Celebrations for the occasion in Aswan featured women’s trilling cries of happiness, horsemen processions, and stick-fighting martial arts.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
