Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has urged reform of Islamic discourse and called on Islamic scholars to send Christmas greetings to Christians. In a speech marking Mulid El-Nabi, the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s birth, President Sisi said that everyone should have the freedom to choose what religion and belief to follow without fear. President Sisi said that Islam calls for peaceful unity between different religions and beliefs and condemns violence. “We talk a lot about the importance of reforming religious discourse,” said President Sisi in a televised speech to Islamic scholars. “In our schools, institutes and universities, do we teach and practice respect for the other?” asked Sisi. “We neither teach [respect for the other] or practice it,” declared the President in a grave tone. “God did not create the world for the ‘ummah’ [Arabic for ‘nation’ or ‘community’] to be alone. [He didn’t create it] for one community, but for communities. [He didn’t create it] for one religion, but for religions,” added President Sisi. President Sisi, who in January 2015 called for reform in Islamic discourse, added that freedom of religion is paramount. “Can I impose upon someone pressure, physically or morally,…
Egypt’s President Sisi Urges Islamic Scholars to Send Christmas Greetings, Calls for Reform
December 24, 2015
