Egyptians in general and Christians in particular heaved a sigh of relief after the Azhar settled the row about Article II of the Constitution by calling for keeping it intact.

Grand Shaykh of the Azhar Dr. Ahmad al-Tayīb said that Article II in the way it is drafted now is a “title of accordance” among all Egyptian political powers that convened at the Azhar headquarters and agreed its paper on rights and freedoms.

[Reviewer’s Note: Article II of the Egyptian Constitution reads, “Islam is the official religion of the state, Arabic its official language and the principles of Islamic sharī’ah are the main source of legislation”. Salafists sought removing the word ‘principles’ or replacing it with the word ‘rulings’]

Dr. ‘Alī ‘Azab, an advisor to Dr. Tayīb, said an agreement was reached to keep the Azhar as the main recourse for the interpretation of “principles of the sharī’ah,” which preserves the value of the top establishment in the Sunni Muslim world with its moderate vision and profound reading of pluralism in Egypt.

“Stating that Christians and Jews may have reference to their own religious laws in personal status affairs and matters of religious rituals only emphasizes the concepts of pluralism, citizenship and civil state,” he added. [Mary Ya’qūb, al-Ahrām, July 15, p. 33] Read original text in Arabic