Egypt’s Minister of Education Moheb El-Rafei has condemned officials within his own Ministry and the Interior Ministry for carrying out the burning of banned schools in the court yard of a school. Burning books sends the wrong message, “even if violence and radicalism or ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood are promoted,” said the Minister according to Al-Ahram. Dozens of books, allegedly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, were burned on April 6 by Interior Ministry officials in the presence of Education Ministry officials at the Fadl Modern School in Giza. The burning took place as Egypt’s national anthem played on the loudspeakers of the school and children watched. The Minister of Education’s statements said that those involved in the burning would be investigated and possibly stand trial. Despite the condemnation and the threat of prosecution, Al-Ahram has revealed that the Director of the Office of the Minister of Education had informed others in the Ministry of the time and date of the burning prior to it happening. This was corroborated in a statement released by the the Ministry of Education condoning the burning of the books as necessary to fight the “incitement…
Egypt’s Education Minister Condemns Burning of Books As Scandal Deepens
April 15, 2015
