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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Bridging the gap
By Nesmahar Sayed
The Islamic Research Academy's report denouncing Haydar Haydar's A Banquet for Seaweed came as a disappointment to many intellectuals. Amidst the heated controversy, Al-Azhar has struggled to uphold its image as a venerable Islamic symbol in face of disparate views.
Al-Azhar has been criticised for everything from being a governmental tool to being out of touch with a new generation of Egyptian culture. While Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the grand imam of Al-Azhar was in Saudi Arabia receiving an award, Al-Azhar university students were demonstrating against Haydar's novel. For this bastion of religious study -- the largest of its kind in the world -- it is no longer enough to depend on its distinguished reputation alone.
The academy's report left many intellectuals questioning the principles by which a religious institution judges a work of fiction. Many secularist intellectuals conclude that Al-Azhar is opposed to freedom of expression and creativity, but in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, prominent preacher Sheikh Gamal Qutb -- a member of the secretariat for preaching at the Islamic Research Academy -- dismissed the claim.
A formidable figure in the religious establishment, Qutb has held posts as the chairman of the Fatwa committee and chief of the department of preaching in Giza governorate. A former envoy of Al-Azhar to Bosnia and a former member of the People's Assembly, he is the permanent representative of Al-Azhar in an inter-religious dialogue with Egypt's Christian sects. He is also a member of the Religious Fraternity Society.
Qutb explained that intellectuals are often mistaken in rash assessments of Al-Azhar because they fail to consider the factors that have contributed to Al-Azhar's role in thorny issues like the publication of A Banquet for Seaweed. Any report prepared by the academy on any form of literature must be requested by a governmental body or organisation. In the case of Haydar's novel, the report was requested by Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, Qutb noted.
"The Islamic Research Academy is not merely a religious institution, but also a cultural and social one," Qutb told the Weekly. "Its members are not only religious scholars, but it also includes intellectuals. They judge a work of literature according to literary and social norms, in addition to religious ones."
Although Qutb maintains that Al-Azhar's opinion holds a great deal of importance, he downplayed the severity of the report. "Everyone should know that Al-Azhar's conclusions on these issues are viewed as consultative and not binding," he said.
Built as a small mosque a thousand years ago, Al-Azhar has grown into an enormously influential Islamic institution: "an institution that follows the state, not the government, because the state is a stable entity, but the government changes according to the elections' results," Qutb explained.
It has played many roles throughout history, one being the support of the army, Qutb remarked, recalling when Grand Sheikh Omar Makram chose Mohamed Ali to lead the army. "Al-Azhar was built because people needed an advocacy institution that looks after their benefits in compliance with Sharia," Qutb said, adding that with time, Al-Azhar scholars have become more concerned with the laws being consistent with Islamic Sharia. "People's affairs had to be managed by intellectuals, or those who are close to them, and that was typical of Al-Azhar scholars for nine centuries," Qutb said.
Regarding its image in the Islamic world, Qutb contends that until now, there is no body that is equal to Al-Azhar. As an institution, Al-Azhar teaches Islamic culture to more than 4,000 international students annually and has sent preachers to all parts of the world, making it a true global force within the Islamic world, Qutb argued. He added that it was a tribute to this role that Saudi Arabia conferred the King Faisal Award upon Al-Azhar, represented by Sheikh Tantawi for "serving Islam." The sum of $250,000 was awarded to Al-Azhar -- the first institution to receive this prize in 21 years.
Sheikh Gamal Qutb
photos: Medhat Abdel-Meguid
But surely, it can be argued that Al-Azhar's role has diminished, as has its image among Egyptians. When asked why this is the case, Qutb stated that it started with the British occupation of Egypt. The 1952 Revolution, with its totalitarian system and 1964 Constitution, further compounded the situation. "Al-Azhar became responsible only for religious education, which does not have as good a reputation as it used to," he conceded.
The rigorous and sometimes impractical programme of education at Al-Azhar has been criticised as not providing its graduates with the ability to engage the community, which has lessened the credibility of the institution. Qutb suggested that the emergence of several religious groups, as well as terrorist attacks and extremist opinions, has also weakened the role of Al-Azhar by bringing suspicion on the institution by more liberal factions in society.
Al-Azhar has also been accused of being more loyal to the government than to Islam by many Egyptians, but Qutb insists that the loyalty of Al-Azhar scholars to God and religion is unquestionable. Qutb contended that these complaints stem from Al-Azhar's low-profile role in secular society; the Ministry of Al-Awqaf (religious endowments) has a greater share of advocacy than that of Al-Azhar. The government continues to establish advocacy institutions for preachers, but fails to make use of Al-Azhar graduates. And yet, when the government needs to sanction a law or decision, the opinion of Al-Azhar is taken -- and not from the advocacy institutions -- leaving people with the misguided impression that Al-Azhar functions like an arm of governmental institutions.
Perhaps the simplest explanation for a number of problems is the lack of coordination between the government and Al-Azhar. A large number of difficult issues are religious in nature, but Al-Azhar's opinion is sought only after a law has been approved by the People's Assembly. This makes people believe that Al-Azhar approves whatever the government says. According to Qutb, issues with a religious perspective should start from Al-Azhar -- not the opposite.
Resolving the current crisis, however, is the state's responsibility, Qutb suggested. Islamic authority was once the prerogative of Al-Azhar, but parts of it have been ceded to the mufti of the republic, the Ministry of Al-Awqaf and the Ministry of Justice. This situation should be rectified, Qutb said, suggesting that the post of the sheikh of Al-Azhar should not be filled by a presidential decree.
Qutb believes that certain conditions have to be met to ensure the integrity of the post of the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar. The grand sheikh should have an independent office, away from any government or party interference, and have complete authority over the Islamic establishment. He should also be aware of people's needs and the Sharia principles, so that he can help in drafting laws.
Talking about the future role of Al-Azhar, Qutb says that the gap between Al-Azhar and the people should be bridged. "Al-Azhar continues to depend more on personal communication to reach its target audience," he said, but he admitted that Al-Azhar fails to adequately use the mass media to clarify and project its views. He suggested that outlets like cinema and television could be better used, but added, "The media role of Al-Azhar will remain poor unless it increases its humanitarian vision regarding current issues."
Qutb insisted on the importance of Al-Azhar's role in lighting up cultural life in this country. "Increasing Al-Azhar's budget to reach at least one-tenth of the Ministry of Culture's budget is a step toward strengthening and expanding its activities," he said. The annual budget for the 4,000 religious institutions that belong to Al-Azhar is LE400 for each one. "This is the budget supplied to the library, the labs and student activities," Qutb says. "Is that enough?"
