The Salafī Front has stated that it is not Islamically permissible for Muslims to congratulate Copts on their religious festivals and that attending the Church to offer congratulations would be a “sin”. This is in response to an invitation from the Coptic Church to President Mursī to attend a ceremony celebrating Easter. Khālid al-Misrī, a member of the Front’s political bureau, said that it was important to differentiate between religious festivals and social occasions. He said that while congratulating Copts on their religious festivals was not permissible, it was permissible for Egyptian Muslims to offer congratulations or condolences on social occasions such as weddings and funerals. The Salafī Front and al-Rāyah al-Salafī Party both said President Muhammad Mursi (Mursī) should not attend the ceremony and condemned the Church for inviting him, claiming that it was trying to benefit from his presence. Khālid Yūsuf, leader of al-Rāyah Al-Salafī, said that Muslims and Christians have to move away from debates about such formalities and work to resolve the current climate of tension (Ahmad Subhī, Al-Tahrīr, Apr. 29, p. 7). Read original text in Arabic.
Dār al-Iftā’ (Ifta House) in Egypt yesterday responded to the Salafī Jihād Movement and other militant Salafī groups who have said it is forbidden for Muslims to congratulate Copts on their religious occasions by releasing an official religious ruling stressing the permissibility of congratulating non-Muslims during their festivals. Many political figures, scholars and human rights activists denounced the determination of some religious movements to treat Copts as second-class citizens. The ruling from Dār al-Iftā’ stated that the Qur’an enjoins Muslims to be good towards all people and it is thus not forbidden to congratulate non-Muslims on their ceremonies or to give and receive gifts on these occasions. The organisation said that the Salafī ruling should be considered criminal as it threatens national unity in Egypt, and that those responsible should be held to account by the state, adding that Mursī has a responsibility as Head of State to attend the ceremony and extend his greetings (Shaymā’ ‘Abd al-Latīf and others, al-Tahrīr, Apr. 29, p. 7). Read original text in Arabic.
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