Thousands Demonstrate at Al-Azhar Mosque During the Funeral of Sheikh Emad Effat

Thousands of Egyptians, men and women, young and old, Muslims and Christians marched out of Al-Azhar mosque during the funeral of martyr Sheikh, Emad Effat, the Secretary of Fatwa Department in Darf al-Ifta, who was killed by fire shot in Tahrir yesterday.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against Field Marshal Tantawy and the ruling SCAF, accusing them of being behind the killing of the popular sheikh who participated in the January 25th revolution and every sit-in and protest afterwards.

The Sheikh was known of a famous Fatwa (religious decree) he made condemning supporting the candidates of the former regime and asking the people not to vote in the elections for the members of the National Democratic Party (NDP); the corrupt party that Mubarak ruled Egypt with for 30 years. The Sheikh considered such voting as violation to Islamic Sharia and justified his position by saying that the NDP members do not want any good for Egypt.

Late Sheikh Effat, 52 years old, also made an extensive argument against SCAF after the Maspero incident where scores of Christians were killed in clashes with the military police. He called the Egyptians to unite and pressure for handing over of power from the military to civilians, and warned all Egyptians – especially Islamists – from falling into the trap of sectarianism and igniting a confrontation between Muslims and Christians in the way that extends the rule of the military.

The funeral in Azhar mosque was a meeting place for all spectra of the Egyptian society; secularists and Islamists, men and women, young and old and Muslims and Christians. Unveiled women as well as some Christians carried the images of the late Sheikh who was a revolutionary symbol for all Egyptians. They vowed to keep supporting the cause of the revolution which Sheikh Effat died for.