http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/926/eg8.htm
18 - 24 December 2008 Issue No. 926 Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 Greeting storm Following his handshake with Israeli President Shimon Peres critics of the grand imam of Al-Azhar smell blood, reports Reem Leila -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Demands for the resignation of Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, after he shook hands with Israeli President Shimon Peres, gained momentum after newspapers began running a photograph of their meeting at a United Nations-sponsored interfaith conference in New York last November. The two men encountered one another at a small dinner attended by, among others, the Saudi king and crown prince of Kuwait. Tantawi initially told reporters he was unaware it was Peres who was approaching him with a proffered hand. Peres has served twice as Israeli prime minister and, together with Yitshak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, was a joint winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize: his critics argue that it is unlikely that he should have failed to recognise someone who has played a leading role in Israeli politics for decades. Tantawi subsequently accused "those who published the pictures of the handshake" as being "a group of lunatics". "Is my handshake with Peres going to solve or complicate the Palestinian issue?" he asked. "And if I had known who he was, would the handshake amount to heresy?" Tantawi then went on to fan the controversy by saying that if any Israeli officials wanted to visit Al-Azhar he would welcome them. The sheikh's office issued a statement saying the handshake took place spontaneously and "without preparation". "Many people came to shake hands with sheikh of Al-Azhar and Shimon Peres was one of them. The sheikh was surprised by Peres's sudden appearance... it lasted for a few seconds." Tantawi caused a similar uproar when he met with Israel Lau, the chief rabbi of Israel, at Al-Azhar in 1997. Tantawi has also been criticised for his statements on the blockade imposed on Gaza. When he was asked about the Gaza blockade on national television, he replied impatiently: "Why all the fuss over Gaza now? What siege? The siege has been going on for a long time." Since taking office 12 years ago Tantawi has never scored high in the popularity stakes. Many of his positions have attracted controversy. He sanctioned the French ban on schoolgirls wearing the hijab (head cover) and has condemned Palestinian suicide bombers. More recently, he has instigated libel proceedings against a newspaper editor and journalist. MP Abdel-Ahad Gamaleddin points out that the handshake occurred within the context of a meeting intended to promote international religious dialogue. "The prophet met with Jews," argues Gamaleddin, shook their hands and made pacts with them more than once, so why not the imam of Al-Azhar? Sheikh Al-Sayed Abdel-Maqsoud Askar, a member of the People's Assembly's Religious Affairs Committee and ex-deputy of Al-Azhar, blames the delegation accompanying Tantawi for the embarrassment of a meeting that has sparked a media feeding frenzy. "The delegation is responsible for directing Tantawi. They should be aware of everyone attending any conference Sheikh Tantawi attends." Tantawi represents Al-Azhar and should have "competent representatives with him at big conferences to avoid any embarrassing encounters". On 6 December Muslim Brotherhood MP Hamdi Hassan, who has demanded an immediate apology from the grand imam, tabled an interpellation. He has few hopes his parliamentary question will elicit a response. "We present questions and the government responds with silence," he says. "Tantawi acts like a government employee. He wants to please the regime. He does not represent himself, however, but Al-Azhar and Muslims as a whole." "Anyone can tell you about what's happening in Gaza. Tantawi has a habit of insulting those who disagree with him and he offends Al-Azhar in the process." On 12 December, while the press campaign targeting him was in full swing, Tantawi issued a statement demanding that Israel end "tyrannical practices against the Palestinians" including the Gaza blockade. It did not placate his critics. "His floundering is a sign that the sheikh of Al-Azhar is unfit to occupy the post," says Wahid Abdel-Meguid, an analyst at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. "It's not only his fault but the fault of whoever appointed him." "The imam of Al-Azhar fell into the trap. Egypt's role in the Arab world has been declining then comes the imam of Al-Azhar, a symbol throughout the Islamic world, to dwarf Al-Azhar and undermine its role," noted columnist Fahmi Howeidi. "Regionally, the Iran-Syria- Hamas-Hizbullah bloc has consistently criticised Egypt for selling out their Palestinian brothers during the current round of negotiations," says MP Mustafa Bakri. And the Egyptian government's overtures to Israel have never been popular in the Arab street, as recent angry protests over the supply of natural gas demonstrate. Egyptian political figures remain hyper- sensitive to allegations of pro- Israeli sympathies, and most go out of their way to avoid being labelled as such. Against such a backdrop it is far from surprising that Egyptian opposition lawmakers feel obliged to call for Tantawi's sacking after the handshake. "I feel shame because the person who did this is the head of one of Islam's greatest institutions," Bakri told Al-Ahram Weekly. He also questions Tantawi's account of the incident. "How can you go to an interfaith meeting and not know who Peres is?" he asked. Last week Bakri petitioned President Hosni Mubarak to sack Tantawi, saying that his meeting with Peres was "an affront to all Muslims everywhere". "There is no justification for the actions of the imam of Al-Azhar. He is simply carrying out the instructions of the regime," railed Magdi Hussein, leader of the frozen Labour Party, who has called for a popular campaign to oust the sheikh. "He is the first grand sheikh who does not respect his position and who has announced his status as a government employee." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
