The silent Islamization of Egyptian Society

The silent Islamization of
Egyptian Society
A court in Cairo allows Islamist police officers to wear
beards to Islamic way. Slogan praising Islam also appears on army tanks. The
Muslim Brotherhood program to impose lessons on Islam and Koran, even in foreign
schools.



Cairo (AsiaNews): From the
continuing attacks against Christians, to the proposed ban on alcohol and belly
dancing, Egypt is increasingly being transformed into an Islamic state. The
signs of this change are not only within the Constitution, based on sharia, but
the imposition of customs until now the preserve of a minority of society. In
recent days, a decision of an Administrative Court of Cairo has made headlines.
The court is allowing police officers to wear beards the "Islamic way" after a
thirty years ban. In February, dozens of police officers were suspended for
violating the law. They protested for days in front of the headquarters of the
Ministry of the Interior arousing the sympathy of several Salafi imams and
police officers who lobbied on the Court to remove the ban.
Dating back to the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the
law was introduced to prevent the entry in the police force of elements of
radical Islamism who would not be impartial in administering the law. Anyone who
sported an Islamic beard was suspended.
According to the moderate newspaper Al Ahram, the
Court's verdict marks an important page in the Egyptian society and confirms the
silent Islamization of institutions and has sparked new protests by Christians
and the secular opposition, which for months has been denouncing this
trend.
However this ruling is not the only sign of this
trend taking hold. Radical Islamists begin to emerge even in the army after
decades of keeping a low profile. In recent days, the Baladna Bel Masry talk
showed a video of a military tank painted with the words: "Not God but Allah,
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." The video was shown across the country and
today Ahmed Mohammed Ali, spokesman of the Higher Council of the Armed Forces
announced legal action against those responsible. "One vehicle - however, he
stressed - does not mean that the phenomenon concerns the entire army."
Attempts to Islamize Egyptian society also affect
education. In recent days Mogheth Kamal, an expert on education, denounced a
Muslim Brotherhood plan to impose lessons of Islam and the Koran in schools,
even private ones. The Islamist movement reportedly has the support of many
institutions, including foreign ones.