Shaykh ‘Usāmah al-Qūsī, the imām and preacher of al-Hadīy al-Nabawīy Mosque, harshly criticized lawmakers from the Salafī al-Nūr Party for declining to stand a minute’s silence in observance of the death of Pope Shenouda III at a People’s Assembly session on Monday (March 19).

“Al-Nūr MPs are committing mistakes as a result of misunderstanding the Muslim faith. They think that with these actions they are stepping closer and closer to God, which is of course wrong,” said Qūsī.

He noted that the incident was not a politically wise of MPs of al-Nūr although it has taken place in a political forum – parliament.

“Lawmakers of al-Nūr are just mixing politics with religion and do not draw a line between the principles of politics and precepts of religions,” pointed out.

Sources from the party said it has not asked its MPs not to stand a minute in mourning over Pope Shenouda, adding some of the deputies have left parliament hall while others remained in their seats but did not stand.

“The deputies who did not stand were only observing the Islamic sharī’ah which does not include that detailed teaching of standing a minute in mourning,” said Nādir Bakkār, the spokesman for al-Nūr Party. [Rāmī Nawwār, al-Yawm al-Sābi’, March 21, p. 2] Read text in Arabic