Interim president Adly Mansour issued a law Thursday that bans non-appointed preachers at the Ministry of Religious Endowment or Al-Azhar University from delivering Friday sermons or giving lessons at mosques.
Lessons and the weekly sermons and will only be limited for the appointed specialized preachers who have permit.
According to the law, those who will deliver a sermon without a permit will face up to one year in jail and pay a fine ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 EGP.
“It is a positive decision,” Azhar University Sharia professor Abdallah al-Nagar told The Cairo Post.
Nagar said the new law does not deprive others from delivering the Friday sermon but it would regulate. The issue is not a matter of words “but some famous preachers are not aware well of religious matters despite their fame,” he added.
The law also bans anyone who did not graduate Azhar University from donning Azhari attire, which consists of robe and caftan. Those who will not adhere will face jail terms no less than three months up to a year and will have to pay a fine no less than 10,000 EGP and not exceeding 30,000 EGP.
