The party’s main principles include abolishing all articles related to the Islamic nature of the Egyptian state in the constitution, including Article Two, which stipulates that Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation. The party proposes the reform of the legal system, to include civil marriage and a secular personal status law.
The party’s founder Hisham Ouf told Mada Masr that their aim is to encourage the separation of religion from politics and the state. He explained that Egypt has suffered from attempts to impose a theocratic state under the governance of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“The Brotherhood was acting as if their people are God’s chosen nation. The conflict between the theocratic and secular state was settled ages ago in the civilized world. Religion is only inside the mosque and the church,” he explained, adding that the party calls for equality between all citizens, with no discrimination due to gender, religion, race or color.
Ouf and the founders are in the process of collecting the 5,000 endorsements required by the Parties Affairs Committee to officially register the party. He says now is the optimal time to establish such a party, making specific reference to what he perceives to be the growing role of Al-Azhar, particularly since the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi from power in July 2013.
“We believe Al-Azhar should stay as a religious institution tasked with Fatwa, preaching and jurisdiction. Azhar’s Shiekh Ahmed al-Tayeb should not enjoy the powers he has now. He has been intervening to ban books, TV shows and movies. Al-Azhar has become a state within the state,” he claimed.
On April 23, the private channel Al-Qahera Wal Nas pulled off air contentious show “With Islam,” following pressure from Al-Azhar. The show was presented by preacher Islam al-Beheiry, who reportedly disseminated religious views that run counter to the core beliefs propagated by Al-Azhar. The supreme religious institution filed a complaint against Beheiry and the channel.
The party calls for abolishing religious education and directing the financial support currently given by the state to Al-Azhar University and schools to reform secular education for all. For Ouf, the state gives up a lot to support Al-Azhar’s hegemony.
Ouf acknowledges that wider society may largely oppose these ideas, but believes the party will challenge the use of the term “secular.” He believes that Egyptians were not properly introduced to secularism in the right manner.
The party was put under the spotlight when Al-Watan daily newspaper published a report about the founders, labeling them as atheists in its main print headline on Wednesday and online on Thursday. In the report, Al-Watan claimed it had accessed a secret Facebook group for the party’s founder, on which there were allegedly calls for the promotion of atheism.
Talk show host Khairy Ramadan slammedthe party on his daily show, “Momken,” on CBC private channel, saying “it is not the right time” to call for a secular state.
Ouf says he and his colleagues do not want to enter into a religious tug of war, but will not prevent atheists from joining the party.
“As a party we do not differentiate between people based on their religion, as we view it as a personal bond with God that we should not be involved in,” he explained.
A campaign against atheists has intensified recently, prompting criticism from human rights groups. In January, activist Karim al-Banna was sentenced to three years for contempt of religion. Earlier, in March 2014, an Alexandrian-based police official vowed to arrest a group of atheists in the coastal city after they made a television appearance. In December 2014, authorities shut down a downtown café believed to be a hub for atheist gatherings.
This was preceded with a campaign by Al-Azhar and the Endowments Ministry to “save youth from atheism.” During the campaign, Al-Azhar concluded that there are 866 atheists as part of a survey conducted to assess the level of atheism in the country.
Despite the obstacles, Ouf is hopeful they will be able to register the party. “The constitution bans religious political parties, yet there are religious political parties operating. Why would the committee then ban a secular political party, established in accordance with the constitution?”
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http://www.madamasr.com/news/new-secular-party-challenge-religious-dominance