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July 21, 2009 Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 535

Conflict Over Spread of Shi'a in Egypt Resurges

July 21, 2009 | By E. Glass*
Egypt | Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 535

Introduction

Following the exposure of the Hizbullah cell in Egypt in April 2009, and the reports that one of its goals had been to spread the Shi'a in the country, [1] tensions between the regime and the Shi'ites in Egypt have increased, and the public debate on Shi'ization in the country has reemerged. [2]

Shi'ization has been a concern in Egypt for some time. About a year ago, the regime launched an information campaign aimed at limiting the power of the Shi'a in Egypt. One of the measures taken was educational activity among the public and the security forces, warning against the Shi'ite ideology and the danger of its taking root in Egyptian society. The Egyptian regime's main concern is the Shi'ization in Sixth of October Province, not far from Cairo, which, after absorbing many refugees from Iraq, has become a stronghold of Shi'a in Egypt.

This report reviews the Egyptian regime's actions against Shi'ization in the country - especially measures taken in the wake of the Hizbullah cell affair - as well as reactions in the Egyptian press and the response of Egypt's Shi'ites to these developments.

Measures Taken by the Regime Against the Spread of the Shi'a

In July 2008, the Interior Ministry asked several university lecturers and religious scholars to speak to security officers on "the Shi'ite ideology and its plans to infiltrate Sunni countries." Dr. 'Abd Al-Mun'im Al-Bari, a lecturer on Islamic culture at Al-Da'wa College and chairman of the Al-Azhar Scholars Front, [3] told the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm that he had been invited to address the officers in light of the situation in Sixth of October, where thousands of Shi'ites had settled and were "attempting to infiltrate Sunni Egyptian society." [4] More recently, Egyptian Interior Minister Habib Al-'Adli decided to establish the Council to Combat the Shi'ite Ideology and Stream in Egypt. [5]

A few days after the Hizbullah cell was exposed in Egypt, the daily Al-Misriyoun reported that Egyptian Religious Endowments Minister Dr. Hamdi Zaqzouq had tasked one of his deputies with preparing a program "for confronting the Shi'ite stream in Egypt." According to the report, the ministry plans to launch an information campaign, especially in the Sinai, and hold meetings at youth centers and sports clubs around the country "to warn the youth against the ideology of Hizbullah and the Shi'ite school of thought." Also, mosque imams and preachers have been instructed to focus in their sermons on the danger posed by the Shi'a to the security and stability of Egypt. [6]

Al-Azhar has likewise joined the anti-Shi'ization campaign. Al-Misriyoun recently reported that, in light of the growing trend of Shi'ization in the country, Al-Azhar Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Sayyed Al-Tantawi has instructed the Al-Azhar Academy of Islamic Research to train imams and preachers to fight "the Shi'ite philosophy and the lies that the Shi'ites spread about the Koran and the Sunna." [7]

Dr. Nasser Farid Wasil, former Egyptian mufti (1996-2002), said recently that there are considerable differences between the Sunna and Shi'a, and warned against what he called the Shi'ites' plans to spread their creed in the societies in which they live. [8]

Sixth of OctoberProvince - A Stronghold of Shi'a in Egypt

The Shi'ization of Sixth of October is one of the main issues that concern the Egyptian regime and the Egyptian media, both government and oppositionist. Sixth of October was only recently designated an independent province, when it was separated from Al-Giza province in April 2008. Its capital, Sixth of October City, is 32 km from Cairo, and has a large population of Iraqi exiles, many of them Shi'ites. Also residing there are many students, from different countries, who attend the city's private universities.

The Shi'ites in Egypt, especially in Sixth of October, are demanding to build Shi'ite mosques, in accordance with the freedom of religion guaranteed in the Egyptian constitution.

According to a recent report, a member of the Sixth of October local council urged the council to deal with the spread of the Shi'a in the province, calling it a danger to the province's security. However, Province Governor Fathi Sa'd rejected this claim, stating that the Shi'ites in Sixth of October pose no danger, and that despite the large Iraqi population in the province, the Sunnis are still the majority there. [9]

A few days after the Hizbullah cell was exposed, www.islamemo, known for its anti-Shi'ite orientation, published new details about Shi'ite activity in the country, which have not been published elsewhere in the Egyptian press. According to the website, a group of Shi'ite students from Iraq and the Gulf recently broadcast a Shi'ite-style call to prayer from a mosque in Sixth of October, which led to a clash with some of the neighborhood residents, and later to the arrest of the students on charges of "forming a clandestine organization for spreading the Shi'a." The investigation revealed that the students had formed this organization in the private universities in Sixth of October, and had collected funds for building a Shi'ite mosque. According to a source in the security forces, the students have acknowledged that they are Shi'ite and that they maintain contacts with Iraqis in the Cairo and Al-Giza provinces. The source stated further that the authorities were investigating whether the student organization had ties with the recently exposed Hizbullah cell. [10]

The broadcasting of the Shi'ite call to prayer from the Sixth of October mosque evoked varied reactions in Egypt. Many saw it as a deliberate provocation exacerbating the conflict between the Shi'ites and the authorities at a sensitive time, i.e. following the exposure of the Hizbullah cell, when the Shi'ites could have been expected to keep a low profile. Others regarded the arrest of the students as an act of anti-Shi'ite persecution by the regime, in response to the Hizbullah cell affair.

The website www.islamemo also reported on the arrest in Egypt of four Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) operatives, who had entered the country with fake passports identifying them as Shi'ite Iraqis. According to the website, the four acknowledged that they had come to Egypt to carry out "intelligence operations" and to support the Iraqi Shi'ites in the country. [11] This affair was covered more extensively by the Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal, which reported that the four Iranians belonged to the IRGC Al-Qods Brigade, and had formed an Iranian intelligence network in Egypt. According to the report, the four stated that Al-Qods Brigade commander Qasem Suleimani had instructed them to spread the Shi'a in Egypt, to campaign for Iran, and to form ties with Bedouin tribes in the Sinai. The head of the Iranian network, an officer called Mohammad 'Alam Al-Din, who had entered Egypt in the summer of 2006 with a fake Iraqi passport under the name 'Ali Zuhdi, rented an apartment in Sixth of October and blended into the Iraqi population there. [12]

As noted above, the issue of Shi'ization in Sixth of October has been preoccupying the Egyptian regime, public, and media for some time. In September 2008, another incident caused an uproar among many Sunni Egyptians: During the month of Ramadhan, Shi'ite booklets were distributed in the city, which, according to reports, contained curses and invective against Egypt and the Egyptians. Against this backdrop, MP 'Muhammad 'Ali Ibrahim, editor of the daily Al-Gumhouriyya, published an article harshly condemning the spread of the Shi'a in Egypt, and particularly in Sixth of October. He called for expelling the Shi'ite Iraqis from Egypt, lest Egypt suffer the same fate as Iraq or Lebanon: "...On several occasions, I have warned about the growing number of Iraqis in the city of Sixth of October. I was told, on these occasions, that they were Sunnis who had escaped the horrors of the American occupation [in Iraq].

"Unfortunately, over time, we have discovered to which sect [they really belong], as well as their true political objective. [Therefore, I say] either expel them or send them back to their homeland, for we do not want to hear about suicide [bombings] in Egyptian cities. Those who [pray] in the mosques of Sixth of October are praying for Hassan Nasrallah and his 'pure' money. Should we wait for something worse?!" [13]

Egyptian Columnist Warns about the Emergence of a Shi'ite Province Near Cairo

Following the exposure of the Hizbullah cell and the events in Sixth of October, columnist Farag Isma'il wrote an article in Al-Misriyoun warning against the spread of the Shi'a and wondered about Egypt's open immigration policy:

"Against the backdrop of the unstable political situation, the Hizbullah cell emerged and deployed itself in strategic areas, in complete disregard of our sovereignty over our borders. Nobody [in Egypt] paid any attention to the Egyptian-Iranian lobby that was assisting the Persian infiltration of the largest Arab country. This lobby controls the [Egyptian] media, has influence in parliament, and heads some of the opposition parties.

"Even worse [than our disregard of this lobby] is our disregard of the Shi'ite province that has unnaturally come into being west of Cairo. This province, called Sixth of October, was born several months ago by being separated from the Al-Giza province. The Iraqis who settled there have established commercial enterprises and coffee shops, and it has become an operations base for IRGC operatives who lurk there, disguised as Iraqis!...

"I was not surprised to hear a Shi'ite-style call for prayer issuing from one of the mosques in Sixth of October, though the residents of the area were surprised to hear a call for prayer at an unusual time and in an unfamiliar style. Two years ago, I spoke to the imam of one of the mosques in the city, and was surprised to hear from him that he was a Shi'ite and had been appointed [imam] by the Religious Endowments Ministry. However, [I soon realized that] he was hiding his Shi'ite identity from the ministry, and [was working to] spread the Shi'a in his sermons and lessons. When I asked him, 'Doesn't anyone notice?' he replied, 'I believe that the Egyptians are inclined towards the Shi'a, even though they are Sunnis'...

"The Iraqi immigrants [in Egypt], some of whom have proven to be Iranians, had the gall to ask the Endowments Ministry for a permit to build Shi'ite mosques in which to perform their rituals. They claimed that this was their right under international law and the human rights charters, and that Egypt has a Shi'ite [population] of over 100,000...

"Why does Egypt open its doors to this Shi'ite Iraqi immigration, without conducting diligent [background] checks, as is done in most countries of the world, including those that zealously guard human rights? Would the U.S., France, Britain, or Germany open their borders and easily grant visas to [immigrants] who threaten their demographic and religious balance as well as their security?

"We have reached the point where a Shi'ite call to prayer is openly broadcast [in an Egyptian city] by those insolent immigrants, those students from Iraq and the Gulf. This is an escalation more dangerous than Hassan Nasrallah's [statement] acknowledging that he dispatched a Hizbullah cell into Egypt.

"There is a difference between granting religious freedom and undermining the very foundations of our religious stability, or permitting the Lebanonization or Iraqization of Egypt. We must not be ashamed to use any means that can prevent us from sinking into this quagmire. We have reached the point where news agencies report that most of the Muslims in Egypt are Sunni! [Only] a few years ago, we were a wholly Sunni society, and now the number [of Sunnis] is dropping. We are absorbing more and more Iraqi immigrants - even though they no longer have a need to emigrate [from their country] - and we keep silent as a Shi'ite province emerges not far from Cairo. Considering the unstable political situation, the future may be even worse." [14]

Responses by Shi'ites in Egypt

Shi'ites in Egypt expressed outrage at the accusations against them. They denied any connection to the Hizbullah cell, and said that the regime was using this affair as another excuse to persecute and oppress them. Shortly after the affair broke, the Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt in Egypt posted on its website an interview with council chairman Muhammad Al-Darini, [15] in which he stated that the Egyptian authorities were prosecuting the Shi'ites and "looking for a new [excuse] to frighten [people] and incite them against the Shi'a." He also called the Hizbullah cell affair "part of the folklore [invented by] the Egyptian security apparatuses." [16]

In an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Al-Darini said that some of the senior members of the Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt are now under surveillance by the security apparatuses. He added that the Egyptian regime was trying its best to tie the council leadership to the Hizbullah cell, and that the council's headquarters, in central Cairo, were the target of constant harassment by the authorities. [17]

An organization called World Shi'ite Union also came to the defense of the Shi'ites in Egypt. In a communiqué titled "The Terror [Employed by] the Egyptian Government against the Shi'a," it stated: "The World Shi'ite Union holds the Egyptian government directly responsible for the crimes of terrorizing the Shi'ites in Egypt and outside it, desecrating their honor, and harming their property, and [it] now intends to bring this issue before the United Nations. We have already brought the situation of the Shi'a in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to the attention of the International Human Rights Council, in a clear and open manner... and soon we intend to ask that top Egyptian officials be tried by an international [court] for war crimes and crimes against humanity." Regarding the Hizbullah cell affair, the communiqué stated that the Egyptian government had launched a new terror campaign against the Shi'a with the aim of "defeating the ideology of Ahl Al-Bayt." [18]

*E. Glass is a research fellow at MEMRI.

Endnotes:

[1] See MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 512, "Egypt: The Hizbullah Cell in Egypt - A Joint Conspiracy by Iran, Syria, Qatar, Hizbullah, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood," April 27, 2009, http://www.memri.org/legacy/report/874#_edn1.

[2] A furor over this issue was previously sparked by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, who warned against the spread of the Shi'a in Sunni countries, especially in Egypt. About Al-Qaradhawi's statements, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 481, "Recent Rise in Sunni-Shi'ite Tension (Part II): Anti-Shi'ite Statements by Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi," December 16, 2008, Recent Rise in Sunni–Shi'ite Tension (Part II): Anti-Shi'ite Statements by Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi ; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2080, "Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi in Interview With Egyptian Daily: Mubarak Should Step Down and Should Not Pass Presidency to Gamal; The Spread of the Shi'a Is A Danger," October 16, 2008, Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi in Interview With Egyptian Daily: Mubarak Should Step Down and Should Not Pass Presidency to Gamal; The Spread of the Shi'a Is A Danger. For similar statements made by Al-Qaradhawi in 2006, which likewise caused a stir in Egypt, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 311, "Debate over the Status of Shi'ites in Egypt," December 27, 2006, Debate over the Status of Shi'ites in Egypt.

[3] A body of Al-Azhar alumni that does not officially belong to Al-Azhar.

[4] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), July 3, 2008.

[5] www.alrafidayn.com, May 11, 2009.

[6] Al-Misriyoun (Egypt), April 16, 2009.

[7] Al-Misriyoun (Egypt), August 16, 2008.

[8] www.islammemo.cc, May 12, 2009.

[9] www.altwafoq.net, April 28, 2009.

[10] www.islammemo.cc, April 16, 2009.

[11] www.islammemo.cc, April 16, 2009.

[12] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), May 15, 2009.

[13] For Ibrahim's article, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2131 "Egyptian Daily 'Al-Gumhouriyya' Editor: Drive the Shi'a Out of Egypt - Before We Become Like Iraq or Lebanon," November 26, 2008, Egyptian Daily 'Al-Gumhouriyya' Editor: Drive the Sh'ia Out of Egypt – Before We Become Like Iraq or Lebanon.

[14] Al-Misriyyoun (Egypt), April 16, 2009.

[15] The Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt in Egypt is a body composed of Sufi and Shi'ite sharifs (descendants of the Prophet Muhammad). It was founded in 1973 under the name Ahl Al-Bayt Association, but the Egyptian authorities closed it in 1979, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, on the grounds that it "posed a threat to the faith of the Egyptians citizens and to their unity, because it spread strange ideas that are alien to Islam and are close to the Shi'ite ideology." www.islamonline.net, February 26, 2006. In 1998, it was reopened by Al-Darini under its current name. www.islamonline.net, February 26, 2007.

[16] www.egyptianashraf.com, April 17, 2009.

[17] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), May 5, 2009. A recent council communiqué describes the security apparatus's raids on organization headquarters, and the persecution and arrests of senior council officials. www.egyptianashraf.com, May 4, 2009.

[18] www.egyptianashraf.com, April 12, 2009.

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