Al Azhar kiosk at subway station to counter militancy

Two elderly clerics have set up shop at a kiosk in one of Cairo's busiest underground stations, ready to dole out religious advice to commuters queueing outside.

It is the latest attempt by Al Azhar university, Egypt's highest religious authority and one of the world's most eminent seats of learning, to touch base with the wider public and counter the appeal of radicals.

"We are saving (people) energy, time and effort by placing this desk in this blessed place that is the greatest meeting point for the Egyptian population," said Saeed Amer, deputy secretary general of the Al Azhar department in charge of issuing religious edicts and one of the clerics in the kiosk

Almost 2,000 people have come to seek advice since the initiative began two weeks ago in the Shohadaa subway station. Many questions to the clerics have touched on issues of prayer rituals, inheritance, marriage and divorce.

Commuters appeared to welcome the initiative, with some even calling for more kiosks to pop up at other stations across the capital. But some critics were not impressed.

"It is clear (Al Azhar) is disconnected from reality. I am shocked that after almost four years of requests from the ... president, and passed through all levels of society, to make amendments to religious rhetoric, they only come up with this (kiosk) idea," parliamentarian Mohamed Abu Hamed said.

"I will not respect what they are doing in this domain until they practically do what is demanded of them, which is the ... revision of the context (of religious discourse). That is the core problem."

The 1,000-year-old Al Azhar has come under fire from parliament and local media who accuse its clerics of failing to modernise their religious discourse to better counter the lure of militancy among disaffected, marginalised young people.

Militants are waging an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula and have killed hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police in clashes since 2013. Attacks have increasingly spilled into the mainland, killing Christians and tourists. In 2015, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi called on Al Azhar to update their teachings to better engage youth and steer them away from violent extremism.

The Azhar Observatory was subsequently launched. Operating in 10 languages, the Observatory tracks social media where militants spread their rhetoric so as to counter and refute it in timely fashion.

Source: Khaleej Times