CAIRO: Al-Demerdash al-Akaly, spiritual leader of Shiites in Egypt, said Wednesday that it is unfair to attach some of the rituals to commemorate the killing of Imam Hussein on the Day of Ashura, to the Shiite doctrine.
Akaly told Youm7 that the practice of Shiites in for instance Iraq to commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein is a tradition in which Shiites cleanse themselves of guilt for the involvement in killing Hussein, by beating themselves with sharp instruments. He stressed that this is completely irrelevant to the Shiite doctrine.
The spiritual leader of Shiites in Egypt added that Shia belief is taking the Islamic knowledge from Prophet Mohamed only and that defining Shia belief as something else would be a matter of fabrication and ignorance.
“Some Shiites are offending the Shiite doctrine more than the offenses of the Salafi sheikhs, because they are ignorant about the doctrine which derives its information from the texts of the Holy Quran and the ethics of the messenger of God,” he said.
Akaly expressed dissatisfaction about Salafis accusing Shiites of apostasy and insulting the companions of the Prophet. “Allah, in his Quran, forbade insulting the idols of the infidels. It is unreasonable that we Muslims insult those who believe in Allah,” he said.
Salafist groups have called to counter attempts from Shiites to practice their rituals in the Hussein Mosque in Cairo on the Day of Ashura. Safalist preacher Osama Al-Qoosee said that Al-Azhar and the Egyptian people reject Shiite rituals such as “slapping their cheeks.” Shiites could practice their rituals in other countries but not in Egypt, he said.
Akaly argued that the main reason of the disagreement between Salafis and Shiites in Egypt is the ignorance of Salafis about the beliefs and views of Shiites.
