In a press statement made on Wednesday, May 1, Dr. ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Barr commented on a number of issues. First, al-Barr said that he did not prevent the President from entering any church and added that words spoken in the media should not be taken very literally.

Additionally, al-Barr welcomed Iranian, and non-Iranian tourism to Egypt. He said that Egypt was still weak and would wait for and welcome Iranian tourists despite the fact that they often criticise Iranians.

Then, al-Barr commented on the accusations against the Muslim Brotherhood that they want to overthrow an Azhar shaykh. Al-Barr says that this kind of speech is slander and everyone who says it seeks to create strife and discord in the nation. He added that the Muslim Brotherhood wants to see the complete independence of the Azhar in Article Four of the Constitution.

Finally, al-Barr responded to the statement made by Ahmad Shafīq that the President would not complete his term. Al-Barr said that Morsi (Mursī) would complete his term in the good will of the nation and that God would hopefully grant him a second term to complete his project of reforming the nation (‘Abdullah Mashālī, al-Watan, May 3, p. 6). Read original text in Arabic.