CAIRO: Friday sermons in Egypt on Oct. 27 will focus on Sinai and the region’s importance to Egyptians, amid controversy over Israeli calls to create an “alternative homeland” for Palestinians in the area.
The topic is titled: “Blessed Sinai, the place and its status, the land of goodness, growth, sacrifice and redemption.”
Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments said preachers should “adhere to this topic in text or content at the very least.”
It said that the sermon “should not exceed 10 minutes for both the first and second parts."
Earlier, Mohammed Mukhtar Ali Gomaa, the minister of endowments, said in a Facebook post that “anyone dreaming of setting foot on Sinai is delusional.”
He added: “Sinai is an integral part of the identity of more than 100 million Egyptians.”
Gomaa expressed a firm stance against any effort to displace Palestinians from their land.
He categorically rejected the idea of Sinai as an “alternative homeland” and “condemned the bombing of women, children,and defenseless civilians” by Israel in the besieged Gaza Strip.”
To guide the preachers, the ministry sent out a circular containing an “indicative text.”
It says that “there is no aggression except against the wrongdoers” and acknowledges the singularity of God and “His dominion over all things,” citing Surat Al-Tin from the Holy Qur’an.
The indicative text highlights that “God has honored some places over others” and “has immortalized their mention in the Holy Qur’an.”
Sheikh Khaled Al-Qat, the imam of Cairo’s Rashid Mosque, told Arab News that “the idea of having the sermon’s focus on Sinai is excellent,” given the significance of the region in Egypt.
He added: “Sinai is described in many ways in the holy book.” Citing verses from Surat Al-Qasas and Surah Taha, he said that Sinai is “depicted as both a ‘blessed’ and ‘holy’ place.”
Al-Qat said that “God swore upon Mount Al-Tur, located in Sinai,” adding: “This is the mountain where God spoke to Prophet Moses.”
The sermon aims to offer an understanding of Sinai’s importance in the Islamic tradition and Egyptian identity.
