In Egypt, Salafis who are the most ultra conservative sector in Islam, endorsed a liberal candidate, Mr. Aboul Fotouch, for President who basically believes in separation of State and Church. This endorsement makes him a front-runner. He was a prominent leader of Muslim Brotherhood and expelled recently for his beliefs. In New York Times news article, some of his statements about Islam and State are very revealing.
“understanding of a verse of the Koran declaring, “There is no compulsion in religion,” which he interprets to mean that the state should not compel people to follow religious rules.”
“Salafi endorsement also appeared to provide an unexpected validation for Mr. Aboul Fotouh’s argument that mixing preaching and politics would be “disastrous” for both Islam and Egypt, as he put it in an interview last week with El Rahma, a major Salafi satellite channel”
“he argued that Egyptian Muslims were not waiting for a president to teach them to follow their faith. They wanted a president to develop their agriculture and industry, as he said Islamic law also required.”
“Among other things, he often argues that the first priorities in advancing Islamic law should be individual freedom and social justice.”
The news article is worth reading.To read the complete article click on the link below:
Fayyaz Sheikh