State-Run Egyptian Newspapers alter Judicial Ruling on Islam Is the Solution

 Jamal Taj al-Din, a member of the defence team for the MB candidates, denied what was published by Al-Ahram, Al Gomhouria and Al-Ahram Al-Massa’i that the Supreme Administrative Court ruling this week upheld a court decision in favor of writing off any parliamentary candidate who raises religious slogans such as ‘Islam Is the Solution”, asserting that such allegations are a clear violation of the court’s decisions and should be closely investigated.
 
He told Ikhwanweb that the lawsuit [slogan] has neither been discussed nor turned down by the court but that it decided to accept it as there is an obvious legal difference between the two and the court’s disapproval is because it does not meet the requirements of capacity and proxy measures.
 
He saw reports published by these newspapers as a serious attempt to pervert and reverse the Supreme Court’s decision in order to publish false information in a bid to undermine Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated candidates and give rise to confusion, underlining the importance of providing apologies for such false information and showing respect for Egypt’s noble judiciary.
 
The Supreme Administrative Court, headed by Judge Kamal Al Lamie, yesterday overruled an appeal lodged to reverse or nullify the court’s decision in favor of writing off any parliamentary candidate who raises religious slogans such as ‘Islam Is the Solution” because the appellant is not a parliamentary candidate, thereby making it null and void.
 
The court, in its reasons for judgment, stated that the appellant, Jad Mohamed Jad, filed his appeal on October 28, before opening the door to receive candidate’s requests to run for the next elections. It was evident that the papers submitted by the applicant in the court proves that he was not a candidate, as one of the most important terms must be met when submitting the appeal. Therefore, the Court overruled.
 
Judge Kamal Al Lamie, deputy head of the State Council and chairman of the Higher Administrative Courts, has emphasized that the Muslim Brotherhood’s slogan in the Egyptian elections: ‘Islam Is the Solution’ does not violate the law.
 
In an interview with the daily Al-Shorouk newspaper, Khalil El-Lamie, chairman of the Administrative Court, surprised all by arguing that “the slogan ‘Islam Is the Solution’ does not violate the constitution” and that using it is “part of the freedoms enshrined by the constitution”.
 
He also stressed that the judiciary’s role is limited to overseeing the polls with conditions set by the law on political rights, where the candidates must hold Egyptian citizenship and their father must hold Egyptian citizenship and have completed his mandatory military service with a good reputation. If he met these requirements, he is a citizen and is entitled to nominate himself and has the right to use any slogans he wishes as long as it is not criminalized by law.