President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has renewed his call for revolutionizing the understanding of Islam to counter terrorist and extremist thought, urging scholars, specifically al-Azhar, to work to that end.
“The scale of counter-terrorism efforts is not sufficient, there is a big problem represented in understanding religion by taking verses out of their tolerant context,” the president stated during a ceremony hosted by the Endowments Ministry.
“Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, and no one can accept those who call for murder and destruction under the guise of Islam,” said the president.
Sisi referred to his call for a “religious revolution” last year, but explained that his call was not meant for “violent measures” but rather to "induce a revolution in thought that copes with the present time and corrects the image of Islam.”
Egypt has been struggling against attacks by extremist groups which claimed responsbility for the death of hundreds of security troops since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Sisi has pushed religious scholars to intellectually counter extremist thought, while the Endowments Ministry has cracked down on preachers who do not carry a license. It has also sought to unify ritual sermons nationwide.
