Jimmy's Corner

The Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Said Tantawi says it all about why religion is misunderstood and misinterpreted these days as he comments on the Danish caricatures I was talking about in the previous post. I am quoting Zenobia’s Egyptian Chronicles on the Imam’s comment:

Shekih Said Tantawy made a very offensive statement "The Danish newspaper should not attack a dead man !!"
Ladies and gentlemen the dead man he was referring to is Prophet Mohammed "PBUH", the prophet of Islam.
The occasion was meeting with the Danish ambassador who is trying to save some of the remaining Danish Islamic relations…”

I believe if this shows something it shows how great the wit of the man who is head of the most is important and influential Sunni Muslim Center: Al Azhar. Sheikh Tantawi’s problem with the caricatures is just because they attack “a dead man”.

My questions to Sheikh Tantawi are very simple:

1. If you call Prophet Muhammed as just “a dead man” (which connotes some disrespect in Arabic especially when it refers to a main religious figure like the Prophet (PBUH)) how can you ask others to respect him?
2. Is your problem is just they attack a dead man? Not because they give a totally stereotypical wrong image of Prophet Muhammed?
3. Do you think it is okay to pictorially depict the Prophet?

Well I just want to draw your attention to one fact: in Egypt the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and the Mufti are appointed by the president, not elected. That is why most of those who occupy these two positions are hypocrite to the government or at least “saving their breaths”. Moreover, those who fall short of fulfilling what the government asks of them are simply kicked out days after they are appointed. No wonder Sheikh Tantawi has such a great wit… /sarcasm.