Dr. Yāssir Burhāmī, Deputy Leader of al-Da’wah al-Salafīa, issued a fatwá (religious verdict) saying that non-Muslims are not allowed to hold the function of president, nor any other sovereign functions, because it is not permissible for an infidel to rule over a Muslim according to the sharī’ah (Islamic law). Burhāmī’s fatwa has raised anger among several Azharite scholars, who stated that the fatwa is legally incorrect, saying that Christians can become president and that such statements cause disputes between Egyptians, leading to sectarian strife (al-Shaymā’ ‘Abd al-Latīf, Rashā ‘Ammār & Mustafá Hamzah, al-Tahrīr, Mar. 4, p. 5). Read original text in Arabic.