Chapter Three: Criticism with Hope:

Al-Sisi Taking the Wrong Route On Reforming Al-Azhar (1)

Introduction:

1- We have implored Al-Sisi, based on his call for reforming religious discourse in Egypt, to issue legislations to reform Al-Azhar, based on the Law of Al-Azhar No. 103, of 1961. We have explained how this law of 1961 underwent amendments that show its faults and its merits. We have urged Al-Sisi to undertake the mission of making major changes in Al-Azhar curricula so that they cope with modern times; certain curricula must be replaced; they incite extremism and terrorism and acts against Islamic values of the Quran. Such corrupt curricula have created generations of extremists and bigots inside Al-Azhar institution itself until now. All this remains to be within our call for reform on all levels; terrorist extremist Wahabi thought need to be faced via legislative reforms, especially annulling any laws of ill-repute in the Egyptian Law that restrict freedom of thought and absolute religious freedom for all Egyptian citizens.

2- We felt – at first – optimistic about Al-Sisi when he has urged reform of curricula of religion in schools and about media figures and guests who dared in public to criticize and refute books of Al-Bokhary (the major deity of the Sunnite Wahabism and Salafism). Yet, we must say that regretfully, Azharite sheikhs in pulpits of mosques have begun to pray for Al-Sisi and to fabricate lies/feats ascribed to him, as they have done before with the ousted terrorist MB president. Al-Sisi has issued an amendment of Al-Azhar Law, granting the sheikhs of Waqfs (Ministry of Religious Endowments) the right of arresting any suspects! Such decisions are setbacks that are harmful to the Egyptian State and to Al-Sisi himself. Let us explain this further. Firstly: in October 2014, Egyptian newspapers showed the decisions of Al-Sisi to amend Al-Azhar Law by changing the last paragraph in Article No. 72 in al-Azhar Law No. 103 of 1961 as follows. The firing of any Azharite professors from Al-Azhar University as per Items Nos. 4 and 5 in this Article No. 72 in cases of the following violations: 1- participation in and inciting of demonstrations that impede the educational process 2- smuggling any types of weapons to incite riots and vandalism 3- intentional damage done to university buildings and possessions 4- giving private lessons for free or in return for payment 5- any act dishonorable to the university staff as religious scholars that contradict religion or harm integrity of the university staff. This article includes all employees outside the university staff within Items Nos. 1, 2, and 3 within this Article. Another amendment was done to give the head of the university the right to fire any students out of the university in cases they impede the educational process or harm Azharite institutions or buildings.

Secondly: critique of such amendments:

1- Article No. 72 was originally as follows: (punishments for the university staff are 1-warning 2-rebuke and reproach 3- reproach plus lack of financial rewards 4-firing out of position while keeping rewards and retirement monthly stipends 5- firing out of position preventing one from receiving of rewards and retirement monthly stipends. Such punishments are in cases of committing any dishonorable act as by religious scholar or an act that contradicts facts of Islam or personal integrity). The new amendments will give more power and authority to the Head of Al-Azhar and other sheikhs to take revenge of those who contradict their views; this will perpetuate the curricula and methodology of Al-Azhar that maintain terrorism, bigotry, extremism, and fanaticism, by keeping in the article the contradiction of 'their facts' of Islam. This means that anyone who would refute the ancient falsehoods of Sunnite creed might lose his job. Such statements in such a law are vague and might include everything; who is the one to decide the notions pertaining to Islam and those that are not?! Azharite sheikhs know very little about Islam! They are a bunch of ignoramuses!

2- Accordingly, the new amendments are done to fit the Criminal Law and Penal Code of Egypt; leaving things vague to exact revenge on 'troublemakers', as seen by anyone in power and authority! This is certainly seen as injustice! What are the limits that indicate vandalism or incitement?!

3- We personally were punished in the 1980s when we tried to show the real tenets and facts of Islam that contradict Sunnite notions. Al-Sisi has made the amendment that gives room for more injustices like those happened to us in Cairo! The falsehoods and lies that lead to terrorism are the 'facts' of Islam as per all Azharite men! we conclude that such amendment would perpetuate such Wahabi Sunnite lies and would protect them against discussion!

4- We have been tried in Al-Azhar University for two years (1985-1986) because of our five books we wrote to show and explain true Quranic facts of Islam; we were accused of denying facts of Islam! The amendments done under the auspices of Al-Sisi perpetuate this injustice; our free thinking to explain the Quran was considered then as an attack on faith, because we refuted Wahabi and Sunnite lies!

5- Meanwhile, when we have been tried in Al-Azhar, an unmarried female Azhar University student has accused her professor; within her testimony in the Police Station in (the Cairene district) Madinet Nasr, of being the father of her unborn fetus, for she was pregnant! She accused this professor of refusing to marry her after he deflowered her. That professor denied that he ever knew this student. This 55-year-old bearded professor that used to wear the Azharite garb was married and had daughters in the same age of that female student. Yet, Azharite sheikhs hushed the matter to preserve the reputation of Al-Azhar! No one punished this adulterous Azharite professor! The Head of Al-Azhar University at that time (Dr. M Al-Saady Farhoud) shrouded the matter with secrecy, and we were punished for writing five books! Hence the law amendments would perpetuate Azharite injustice to anyone who would write to reform religious thought based on the Quran alone! Reform for Azharite men means contradicting their facts of their creed – the Sunnite Wahabism!

Thirdly: Why especially Al-Azhar University?!

1- Why such amendments to this university?! What about the rest of Egyptian universities?! Riots, demonstrations, private lessons, and other types of scandals occur in all these universities. Are they not allowed in Al-Azhar University and lawful in other universities?! Why such amendments do not cover Azharite personnel and employees in Azharite schools and bodies?!

2- It is obvious that this amendment is done to punish all troublemakers among Azharite professors and students who demonstrated against Al-Sisi. It is a bad habit of Egyptians to issue unneeded laws and amendments especially to punish certain categories of people especially that at the time, the Parliament did not exist. We have written to urge Al-Sisi to change and amend the Law of Al-Azhar by his political will; yet, we did not expect a change for the worse! Instead of the badly needed radical changes we have explained, the new amendments would be used of perpetuate lies and falsehoods of Azharite Sunnite Wahabi creed and prevent their discussion and refutation, on the pain of incarceration and getting the sack. Such laws are now snares to entrap reformers among professors and graduates!

3- Azharite curricula and books preserve and propagate terrorist thought applied by ISIS, the terrorist MB, and Al-Qaeda. Azharite students who demonstrate against Al-Sisi think that they are applying what they have been taught in curricula of their university! Azharite education begets more generations of potential terrorists ready to destroy Egypt anytime! Another catastrophe in such amendments is to grant sheikhs of Waqfs the right to arrest others, like those who preach sermons in mosques without being licensed by Al-Azhar. Media men in Egypt, among hypocrites who flatter Al-Sisi, said that this is done to stop non-specialized non-Azharite people from preaching extremist fanatical notions that incite violence within society, as per Law No. 51 of 2014 phrased by Al-Sisi. This law aims at preventing Salafists and those affiliated to the terrorist MB group from preaching in pulpits of Egyptian mosques, to make this mission confined to Azharite hypocritical sheikhs who support Al-Sisi. Yet, what about those who preach for the sake of reform on all levels, especially reform of religious discourse?! What about reformers who refute Sunnite/Wahabi creed notions that contradict the Quran?! Of course, such people would be imprisoned as per Law No. 51 of 2014!

Lastly:

 We have been reproached formerly because we have hailed and supported before the reformist features apparent in Al-Sisi regime; we still have hope as well as lots of fears concerning Egypt and the Egyptian people!  

Al-Sisi Taking the Wrong Route (2) On the Lack of Reform of Law of Demonstrations

Firstly: the current law of organizing demonstrations might cause civil strife in Egypt

1- This civil war might break out in cases of postponing economic reforms as well as legislative reforms and perpetuating economic collapse and failure. Prices are soaring high since a long time in Egypt in case of finding no hope on the horizon, hunger revolts might ensue, to be quelled by anti-riot and security forces using the law of organizing demonstrations. Massacres might ensue escalating to civil strife. We hope such prediction would never take place.

2- Such predictions might occur due to preserving the Sunnite/Wahabi creed notions as part of 'Islamic' facts, instead of exposing such falsehoods as against the Quran. Wahabi terrorist thought would incite a revolt against Al-Sisi regime to take revenge. Most police men and military men embrace Wahabism as Islam, and low ranks among them to revolt as if it were a religious duty against a despot, and massacres would ensue to resist and quell such revolts! Generations born since 1971, Azharite and non-Azharite, were brought up and reared on Wahabism as the only 'correct' form of Islam. This applies to all employees in governmental bodies as well. Salafism, exact synonym to Wahabism, reigns supreme in their hearts as Islam. We fear divisions might occur in ranks of police and the military, with civil strife in Egypt as a result. Such incitement to violence would be committed by those who have power, authority, and wealth to make Salafists (i.e. most Egyptians!) fight and kill one another!

3- Such divisions are occurring now on smaller scale; pro-Al-Sisi media men call such revolting people as hidden cells of the terrorist MB members. It is as if they know all the terrorist MB member, both hidden and overt types! This is absurd! The interpretation we conclude in such conditions is that most Egyptians embrace Wahabism/Salafism as Islam! Some of them in low or high posts fight against Al-Sisi regime, deemed by them as regime of apostates which is against Islam! With the passage of time, such anti-Al-Sisi sentiments would increase especially that no demonstrations are allowed in Egypt to vent bent-up anger. Such laws organizing demonstration must be amended; otherwise, Egyptians will pay a heavy price.

Secondly: The solution lies in the true Islamic sharia: the Quran

1- In the Islamic city-state of Yathreb led by Prophet Muhammad, the internal and external security entailed giving more freedoms and liberties, not confiscating them; Muhammad give inhabitants of Yathreb absolute freedom of religion; this city-state enjoyed justice, security, and peace for all. We have written a lot about such facts in detail elsewhere.

2- Yathreb at the time was surrounded by dangers and sieges and battlefields until shortly before Muhammad's death. He had to face aggressive polytheists from outside and internal spies, hypocrites, traitors, treacherous Jewish tribe, and their likes.

3- In the present modern times, such conditions lead to more restrictive laws and emergency laws to restrict liberties and freedoms under the pretext of protecting nations and their security. This is perpetuated by all despots and tyrants now. Yet, the city-state of Yathreb led by Muhammad using Islamic sharia in the Quran found the solution: freedom, justice, and peace for all citizens are the bases of all security.

4- Hence, Yathreb city-state applied the motto of 1919 revolution in Egypt: "Religion pertains to God; the homeland pertains to all citizens"; i.e., all citizens are equal within their homeland. Allegiance to the city-state of Yathreb was done individually or in groups all men and women equally; see 60:12, and all its citizens were the source of political authority, not Muhammad; see 3:195.  Religion pertains to God means that God will judge all humanity and their differences in creed in the Day of Resurrection; and because persons are free, they must be responsible individually for their choices of creeds. One is to choose freely one's creed or cult or religion; the state must ensure such freedom. The State cannot force or coerce anyone as far as religion is concerned. Preaching is OK, but without coercion. Hundreds of Quranic verses affirm such meanings. The application of these Quranic sharia facts was ignored on purpose by ignoring Quranic terminology and tenets for centuries. Let us give examples of this as follows.

4/1: 'Kufr' and 'Shirk' (disbelief and polytheism in terms of demeanor) are Quranic terminologies that designate aggressive actions against the peaceful ones, as done by the Qorayish tribe to early Muslims in Mecca and later on in Yathreb. Early Muslims had no trouble dealing peacefully with peaceful polytheists in terms of creed; the trouble was with aggressive polytheists who coerced early Muslims in religion. In contrast, the Quranic terminologies 'Islam' and 'Eman' (Islam and belief) indicate peaceful demeanor with all human beings, not just faith in one's heart. Faith in hearts of believers means basic facts in the Quran: to believe in Allah, in the Quran, and all books and prophets as equal to one another, and to devote acts of worship to God alone. As for rights of persons, Quranic sharia laws aim to protect all such rights: to protect lives, possessions, honor, and peaceful existence of all people. As for rights due to God, He is the Sole and Only judge of them in the Last Day. No one has the right to interfere with the latter; rather, a State must protect the former type of rights.

4/2: Accordingly, citizenship in the city-state of Yathreb led by Muhammad was for those peaceful non-violent and non-aggressive ones, regardless of the fact if they were Muslims or not. 'Believers' as a Quranic term designates those who adhere to peace, regardless of their faith or creed. Quranic verses urge those believers in peace to believe as well in God alone and in basic tents of Islam; see 4:136. Some other verses urge inhabitants of Yathreb to forsake idols; see 22:30. This used to be during the lifetime of Muhammad; Quranic verses urge them to avoid wine, gambling, idols, 'holy' shrines and tombs: "O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and divination are abominations of Satan's doing. Avoid them, so that you may prosper. Satan wants to provoke strife and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to prevent you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer. Will you not desist? Obey God and obey the Messenger, and be cautious. If you turn away-know that the duty of Our Messenger is clear communication." (5:90-92). These verses are among the last to be revealed shortly before Muhammad's death. This fact indicates that even some citizens of Yathreb who adhered to peace (believes in terms of demeanor) used to be non-believer in terms of faith. Such verses indicate that Muhammad's sole mission was to convey the Quranic message. He never coerced others to convert to Islam; see 10:99. Hence, such were the peaceful citizens of the city-state of Yathreb, regardless of their faith in hearts, they were free and equal. A citizen is the one who is peacefully adhering to higher values of freedom, equality, non-violence …etc. regardless of one's faith or creed.

4/3: In Yathreb at the time, there were those who were overtly peaceful but connived and conspired and were treacherous. The Quran mentions those who were hypocrites in Yathreb society within tens of verses. Hence, we conclude that based on the Quran, such hypocrites were citizens who had the liberty to harm Muhammad himself; they even refused to participate in the self-defense fighting to protect Yathreb against aggressors. They used to incite others against Muhammad and his commands, to spread rumors, to refuse to pay alms to the poor, and to mock and taunt believers among new converts to Islam. Moreover, they even used to connive and conspire against Muhammad and the early believers and to establish a mosque to be a center for such internal conniving enemies to preach against Muhammad. Hence, they had the right to be among the political and religious opposition movements against Muhammad as a leader. They had absolute freedom to act, speak, and move freely as well as to tell lies against the Quran and Muhammad. No one punished them at the time, in the 7^th century Arabia. The reason: they did not hold arms and weapons to fight or to commit acts of aggression, like the rest of believers in Yathreb.

4/4: Those who committed acts of violence and aggression using weapons and arms against the peaceful city-state of Yathreb are disbelievers and polytheists in terms of behavior; they are to be fought in self-defense until aggression stops. This is the Islamic legislation of the Quran concerning fighting; see 2:190-194, 2:217, 9:1, and 8:38-40. Hence, we find the Quranic warning to hypocrites if they would escalate their opposition to acts of violence, or they would be fought by early believers; see 33:60-62. The same goes to hypocrites among Bedouin among desert Arabs around Yathreb; they used to plot against Yathreb dwellers and attack them in raids; they are warned in the Quran to stop aggression or face military wars of self-defense; see 4:88-91. Such warnings are repeated within the very last revealed verses of the Quran in 5:33-34. Such punishments in these verses suit us to apply them on ISIS now.

Thirdly: How to apply such Quranic tenets of Sharia in the Era of Al-Sisi in Egypt:

1- We have written above the absolute freedom of peaceful political opposition as done by Muhammad in Yathreb. We aim now here to apply this in the topic of demonstration banned in Egypt now. Processions and demonstrations were organized by oppositional figures against Muhammad and Quranic teachings in Yathreb. The response was never by quelling, arrest, fight, or torturing of such people; rather, by believers who demonstrated to call for rights and for avoiding evildoing; see 9:67-72.

2- There are nationalistic, moralistic and religious tones in speeches of Al-Sisi; we do not deny that he is devoted to Egypt and dedicated to solving its problems, but his fault is to postpone problems accumulated in previous years and leaving them to escalate and aggravate instead of finding and applying radical solutions. We urge him based on his religious nature and personality as per his speeches to apply true Islam: the Quran, by reforming all legislations in Egyptian courts to enhance justice for all. The very first law to be amendment is the law of organizing demonstrations and sits-in.

3- This is our proposal: those who desire to demonstrate for any cause should write a petition to ensure the peaceful nature of their processions and not to turn them into riots and acts of vandalism and violence. They are to make sure that they never hold arms or weapons of any type. Cairo should have its spaces designed to house demonstrations and sits-in, protected, not quelled or stifled, by police forces. Police forces should help demonstrators express themselves, not to frame them to imprison them!

4- Such amendments in law organizing demonstrations should be followed by policemen who should vow never to use violence, framing, and torture and other dishonest means with citizens; they are to deal justly with all people by preserving their dignity. All prisoners who have been incarcerated merely for expressing their opinions should be set free, especially among the innocent ones, the press reporters, and peaceful political activists as well as all peaceful free thinkers.

5- The Egyptian state has the right to resist and punish all those who hold arms and weapons to terrorize citizens during any riots or armed demonstrations to threaten the lives and possessions of all Egyptians, policemen and military men included.              

A Peasant, A Sheikh, and A Donkey. On the Call of President Al-Sisi for a Revolution in Religion

 
1- A peasant, his wife, and several children have been living in a too small hut in a village, where life is miserable indeed. The peasant has complained to the sheikh who has been the imam/preacher of the mosque of the village and sought his advice to find a solution to his problem. The sheikh commanded him to make his donkey, owned by the peasant, to reside with them in the small hut. The peasant has not understood the reason or the logic of this, but he obeyed blindly his sheikh. The conditions of the peasant worsened, of course, with a donkey living in the same small hut; the donkey urinated on the peasant and his family members! When he could no longer stand it, the peasant hurried to the sheikh to seek refuge, saying: "Please help us, O reverent sheikh! I must be allowed to remove the donkey out of my hut!" The sheikh gave him his consent and permission to do so. The peasant felt immensely relieved. When the sheikh paid a visit to the peasant in his hut, he found that the peasant felt at peace and satisfied with his too small hut, remembering with bitterness the worse days when the donkey used to reside with them.

2- This above-mentioned parable we are using to give an example of the conditions in Egypt; when the Egyptians revolted against Mubarak and his military rule, a worst alternative, the terrorist MB group members, took over the rule of Egypt for a year, described by all Egyptians as the worst year in contemporary Egyptian history. Getting rid of the terrorist MB group members rule, the Egyptians retrieved the military rule, to the satisfaction of all. The terrorist MB donkey got out of the hut at last. The Egyptians found out that when choosing between two bad things, they ought to choose the lesser of two evils. The military rule is bad, but the terrorist MB group members rule is worst. That is why we see most Egyptians feel happy with the current military rule.

3- How unhappy and discontent on is when the best option is the lesser of two evils!

4- Why do all Egyptians have to choose between the bad and the worse? The simple answer is as follows: most Egyptians ignored their minds and reason to obey clergymen of all denominations. Clergy is an evil invention fabricated by the deities of the man-made, earthly, non-celestial creeds: (the Sunnite, Shiite, Sufi, and Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant creeds in Egypt), which have nothing to do with the divine creed of God in the Quran. Clergymen control citizens for financial reasons and to maintain power and authority. The sole problem of the Egyptian mentality is blind obedience to such deities of clergymen in the Egyptian everyday life; as if every detail requires the blessings or fatwa of clergymen of any denominations.

5- The West achieved progress when it imposed a curfew of religious denominations within walls of houses of worship/churches. Denominations of all types are not allowed in Europe to interfere with society and politics. The West gives one the liberty of belief and non-belief. Houses of worship and clergymen play secondary role confined to be on certain occasions and in charity acts. All West citizens can mock all creeds and clergy with impunity. Clergymen do their best to retrieve worshippers and some respect in works of charity.

6- That is how the West retrieved its reason and mind from the Church and any other earthly creed fabricated by men in other eras. That is how the West people have made advances in all fields, guided by reason and science and of course innate nature or instinct to regulate life within higher values of responsible liberty and justice, dealing with people fairly, complete religious freedom and freedom of thought, human rights, dignity, democracy, social justice and solidarity, etc., and that is why immigration flux goes on toward the West countries from the lands of the Muhammadans. The Muhammadans are enslaved to the creeds that falsely ascribe themselves to Islam (the Sunnite, the Wahabi, the Salafist, the Shiite, and the Sufi creeds). They are sandwiched between choosing the bad (military rule) and the worse (theocracy of evil clergymen or the terrorist MB or ISIS, and their like). The first step toward any solution is retrieving one's mind and reason confiscated by the corrupt clergymen of the Muhammadans.

7- Once, the reason and minds are retrieved from the confiscation of clergymen, more options will be open to all Egyptians as long as they control their own destiny and ready to sacrifice for the sake of liberty of choice and its consequences. They will insist then on dignity and better life and will face all forces of evil that impedes them on their way of progress. When the Egyptians go on worshiping and prostrating before Christian, Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi clergymen, the ruler is worshiped as well; because he is being worshipped by all clergymen of all denominations, especially the head of Al-Azhar Sunnite institution and the Coptic Orthodox pope of Alexandria.

8- All Muhammadan do not know that all clergymen without exceptions are devils in human form. They are the worst specimens of the human race. The reason: they lie to God and misguide and mislead people for the sake of positions, wealth, authority, and power. The Egyptian Muhammadans do not know that real Islam, i.e. Quranism, is secular by nature: without any cathedral-like institutions or papal clergymen of any type. Islam has nothing to do with (the highest Sunnite institution in the Arab world in Cairo) Al-Azhar, any church-like institutions and bodies established by the Shiites, or any 'holy' establishments of any kind. In Islam, no mediators, among people or institutions, are allowed to interfere between a believer and God. Guidance or misguidance is a personal individual responsibility before Our Creator in the Day of Judgment. The Egyptian Muhammadans do not know that there are no 'holy' men or women in Islam, and even no 'holy' things or locations. They do not know that Islam, the Quran alone, forbids mixing creed with politics and economy. Islam is not a State, a caliphate, a form of government and rule, or a régime. Islam is the guidance and the declaration of the testimony: "La Ilah Illa Allah": (There is no God but Allah), as well as the belief in the Afterlife and the Day of Judgment, the date of reward for the acts of piety and worship and justice. Piety entails dealing fairly with people in all fields, including the political field.

9- The Muhammadans do not know that the West is now nearer to Islamic Quranic sharia; West countries is so by human rights and all higher values of religious liberty, human dignity, equality, freedom, justice, etc. when the Muhammadans forsake Islam centuries ago, they invented human-made fabricated creeds under its banner. These creeds support all types of injustice and killing. The fiercest creed of such ones is Wahabism (the Salafist type of the Sunnite creed) that produced to the planet the terrorist dangers of al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the MB group members. The Muhammadans do not know that every human being is given a certain period to live on Earth, and the time of one's death is predetermined by God in advance. During one's lifetime, one can choose either to live in a small dirty hut controlled by a donkey, a tyrant ruler, and clergymen, or to leave the prison cell to live freely elsewhere; the Muhammadans do not know the meaning of this Quranic verse: "O My servants who have believed: My earth is vast, so worship Me alone. Every soul will taste death. Then to Us you will be returned." (29:56-57). Hence, the Earth is round and one can roam it endlessly like a circle; imagine an ant on a watermelon. But one's lifetime is limited; why wasting it in ignominy and humiliation by tyrant rulers and corrupt clergymen?

10- The Muhammadans do not know that death time is predetermined in advance by God to every human being; no one dies before this appointed time. Why do we fear death (or getting killed) since all of us will die certainly anyway? Both the donkey and clergymen are mortals as well. The same mortality applies to all tyrant rulers.  

11- Egypt is about 1000000 square kilometers, and Egyptians live only in 5% of its geographical landscape. In this small area, the donkey mounted by the military ruler is taking more space within a small hut. Egyptians must apply the divine command in the Quran by residing and living in all Egypt in uninhabited areas or under-populated locations, such as around Lake Nasser, south of the Red Sea Governorate, Sinai vast lands, cities on the borders with Sudan, and all desert areas. These areas need to be populated away from the military rule and the donkey. "It is He who made the earth manageable for you, so travel its regions, and eat of His provisions. To Him is the Resurgence." (67:15).

12- If all Egyptian lands are populated evenly, the above-mentioned parable will be changed as follows: (A peasant used to live miserably with his wife and several children in a too small hut in a village. One day, the peasant has decided to desert this small hut, and to travel with his family out of this poor village. He has found out that there are countless locations fit for prosperous living and agriculture. He put all his trust in God and has begun to work diligently. He has found that diligent work and its rewards alongside with liberty are better than living impecuniously while being ruled by the donkeys (clergymen) and those who ride them (tyrant rulers). The peasant has built a spacious house for himself and his family. He has established to himself and his children a future with freedom, prosperity, and dignity. The peasant controls and rides the donkey now, not the other way round. The whole family lived happily ever after).

Lastly:

 The example of the donkey is used in the Quran to describe the mortal deities and false mortal gods of any fabricated, human-made creeds who aim at serving the tyrant ruler to gain money and power or aim at ruling a given nation to gain more power and wealth. Abusing creeds in that way deserve the simile of donkey carrying volumes and tomes without understanding them: "The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah, but then failed to uphold it, is like the donkey carrying works of literature. Miserable is the example of the people who denounce God's revelations. God does not guide the wrongdoing people." (62:5).

On the Call of President Al-Sisi for a Revolution in Religion:

The Quranists Have Made it since 1977 until the Present Moment: Such a Revolution Is Impossible in Egypt without the Participation of Quranists.

Introduction:

1- Al-Sisi has called, in a speech, Azharite sheikhs to create a religious revolution, concerning bettering the religious discourse in Egypt; yet, Azharite clergymen dare NOT even denounce or criticize ISIS!

2- We notice religious terms used in speeches by the Egyptian President; he insists that he would complain to God about the Azharite sheikhs in the Last Day if they do not achieve such 'religious' revolution.

 We say the following:

1- God will judge each of us concerning what we can do for His sake; has Al-Sisi done his best to update religious thought in Egypt? What is he going to do before God in the Day of Judgment? Al-Sisi can do a lot, but he does not. We have written a lot to him about how to update and better conditions of religious thought in Egypt. It seems that Al-Sisi knows us quite well; he once quoted us in a research paper he wrote during his military postgraduate studies in the USA. He was once working in the Egyptian Central Intelligence; hence, he knows all about Quranists and their suffering and endeavors to show true Islam. Egyptian Quranists are being watched closely by security men in Egypt, after four waves of their arrest in Egyptian prisons. Quranists are banned from Egyptian TV channels; their thought is the only way to save Egypt from creeds-induced ISIS-like terror. Quranists are the only ones qualified to update and change radically religious discourse and thought in Egypt and the Arab world and to purge Islamic notions from corrupt thought that remained for centuries. Quranists remain persecuted and their writings ignored; this intentional overlooking contradicts the call of Al-Sisi for a 'religious' revolution. Another unforgivable contradiction by Al-Sisi is to command enemies of Islam and of the Quran – Azharite clergymen – to bear the responsibility to update and change religious discourse and thought. Azharite men oppose Quranism and Quranists and stifle any Quranists' voices in Egypt. They are what we call ISIS Azharite sheikhs. They can never undertake the mission of any change or reform; they defend only their ancient centuries-old myths, falsehoods, fabrications, and lies of the so-called hadiths that urge killings, violence, coercion, persecution, misogyny and hatred. They maintain their jurisprudence of persecution, confiscation, restrictions of liberties and freedoms, quelling and hunting down of free thinkers. They maintain and preserve the law of the so-called contempt of religion to terrorize anyone who dares to question and refute the Sunnite Wahabi Salafist creed. It seems that Al-Sisi is evading and shirking from the task of changing religious discourse or thought by blaming Azharite ignoramuses who defend Al-Bokhary books though they never read them. Any perusal of such books will show clearly that they contradict the Quran and the logical mind. Internet Arabic websites are filled with mocking jests based on Al-Bokhary; Azharite sheikhs never reached the awareness of youth who use internet. No one in Al-Azhar who has spent his lifetime defending falsehoods would be able to change anything for the better using intelligence and reasoning faculties all of a sudden! Even upstart Azharite men who look forward to being promoted, and might give it a try to obey Al-Sisi, lack qualifications to do any change at all. They can never apply research methodology at all to the Quran and to tomes of thought of the forefathers.

2- The Egyptian President is the most powerful man in Egypt, and he has not done his best yet to develop and change religious discourse to make it reflect the higher values of the Quran: peace, mercy, freedom, justice, and human dignity. Yet, Al-Sisi can do what we have urged him to do as follows.

2/1: Removing the ban in Egyptian media imposed on Quranists by allowing their presence on TV channels and publishing their books to allow them to participate in peaceful religious reform.

2/2: Annulling laws that restrict freedom of thought, expression, religion, and peaceful demonstrations and pardoning political prisoners and thinkers who are imprisoned.

2/3: Firing Azharite ISIS sheikhs from their posts, especially the Head of Al-Azhar; they deserve this because they do not do their mission imposed on them by virtue of Al-Azhar Law discussed before. They deny adamantly facts of the Quran to prefer facts of Sunnite books! Their shameful demeanor is a disgrace to Al-Azhar institution!                               

2/4: Employing reformers among Al-Azhar University to replace ISIS sheikhs of Al-Azhar, while forming committees to reform Al-Azhar laws and curricula. We have written a lot in detail concerning this subject. 

3- We have never been employed in executive posts; Al-Sisi knows quite well that we have done our duty as per Al-Azhar Law in Al-Azhar University to show clearly tenets and facts of Islam in the Quran, but we have been persecuted within two periods of time: (1977:1980) and (1985:1987), and we have been suspended from teaching and got arrested and imprisoned many times. Yet, we have never changed our stance to call for Quranism. We never feigned to change our opinions to save ourselves any persecution; we have insisted on our views despite all ordeals and difficulties until now while we are heading toward death; we are now about to reach the age of seventy. Once we die, we will feel content that we did our best for the sake of Islam; in the Last Day, we will be a foe complaining to God about Azharite, Salafist, and Wahabi sheikhs especially those who persecuted us during the Mubarak Era in Egypt. We will complain to God about Al-Sisi if he let Egyptians down by not applying religious reform.

4- We do not like very much to talk about our previous life and about ourselves; yet, we have to say that we have been the very first person to undertake and manage a comprehensive project of religious reform, unprecedented in the history of 'Muslims' whom we call Muhammadans. This very website bears witness to this fact. To publish online and translate all our books and researches would take further years. This is the real religious revolution needed and urgently required in Egypt; it is done by a former Azharite man, an Egyptian man, since 1977 until now. Quranists are now forming a trend worldwide that includes thousands of people from different nationalities. We have influenced thousands of non-Quranists to criticize and refute 'holy' falsehoods of the Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi creeds.

5- Al-Sisi intentionally ignores us and overlooks our project of religious reform that is indispensable to change religious thought of Egyptians. Quranism as a trend and a school of thought has created a clear barrier between the Quran, the only source in Islam, and human, man-made thought of the ancient Muhammadans, showing the contradictions between the two of them. It is OK for Al-Sisi to ignore us; yet, Al-Sisi and we, Ahmed Subhy Mansour, will stand before God to be judged on our deeds and faiths and what was within our power to do during our lifetimes. "Who does greater wrong than he who fabricates lies about God? These will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, "These are they who lied about their Lord." Indeed, the curse of God is upon the wrongdoers. Those who hinder others from the path of God, and seek to make it crooked; and regarding the Hereafter, they are in denial. These will not escape on earth, and they have no protectors besides God. The punishment will be doubled for them. They have failed to hear, and they have failed to see. Those are the ones who lost their souls, and what they had invented has strayed away from them. Without a doubt, in the Hereafter, they will be the biggest losers." (11:18-22). God says nothing but the Truth, even if Azharite ISIS men do not like it.               

If We Were In the Shoes of Al-Sisi

Firstly:

1- Egyptians – and most Middle Eastern people – are always to choose among two evils: Wahabi theocratic rule (ISIS or the terrorist MB, for instance) and military tyrannical rule; and mostly, they choose the latter as the lesser of two evils, because the former is a bottomless pit of horror and turmoil! Egyptians ousted Mubarak, who represented the military rule going on since 1952, but the military rule has continued via a military council since 2011.  We have written before that this military council gave the chance for the terrorist MB group members to rule Egypt in 2012 to expose them. It is well-known that the terrorist MB group plotted to gain rule of Egypt since 1928, and they failed miserably; their president was ousted/deposed by the Egyptians in 30^th of June 2013. The Egyptians have chosen the lesser of two evils; the return of military rule embodied by Al-Sisi (whose words show him to be modest and religious apparently) to get rid of the terrorism induced by the Wahabi MB group members who seek revenge.

2- The overwhelming support of the majority of Egyptians gained by Al-Sisi in 30^th of June 2013 has been lessened by his lack of clear political program during the 2014 presidential elections; he seemed to stand against revolting youths and against liberties. That is why not so many people went to elections ballots. We personally believe that his popularity has been corroded substantially in 2015; corruption rates increased and tyranny overwhelmed everything. The crimes of policemen against citizens grow exponentially. Suppression of all freedoms and liberties coincides with indiscriminate court sentences of capital punishment to hundreds of people, while incarceration of revolting youths goes on until now. Al-Sisi used and manipulated almost everyone in the military, the police, courts, media, and lawmakers to quell everybody, not just to crush the terrorist MB. Al-Sisi has managed to set free Mubarak and his sons and never managed to restore their smuggled money to Treasury of state. The route map of Al-Sisi is NOT to reform Egypt on all levels, but to affirm tyranny of the military rule. Revolting youths have received sentences of incarceration terms. Demonstrations have been dispersed with bullets, resulting in many victims killed in peaceful marches. The military men have committed massacres since 2011 from Maspero Massacre of Copts until killing peaceful demonstrators recently in 2015. We fear that the parliament would be version typical of Mubarak era! The military rule men have taken revenge of the terrorist MB as well as revolting youths of 2011. Those who stole millions of Egyptian money were set free!

3- We at first felt happy to hear Al-Sisi taking about reform especially in 'religious' education and discourse, and we supported his plans in that respect; for a reformer's mission and duty are to point out weaknesses that need to be redressed and to hail good reformation steps. We did so with the Green Book authored by Kaddafi; despite it errors, we felt it was a step toward culture of democracy. When Kaddafi declared his rejection of the so-called Sunna and hadiths, we felt he was a true reformer; we visited Libya to find out – to our dismay – that tyranny reigns supreme. We refused to sign a certain statement and returned to Egypt without attending conferences held by the tyrant Kaddafi; some of our friends felt afraid he might take revenge from us! The tyrant god killed; his regime has published our books without giving us any payment at all. We wrote to the KSA king Abdullah to urge him to apply reformation project of Nasser Al-Saeed to boost conditions of the KSA, but he ignored us. The result, we criticized him in our articles in this website. The same reoccurred with Al-Sisi; we hailed his reformation steps at first, only to find out that Egypt is about to explode!

4- We have written a lot to urge Al-Sisi to begin real reform on the level of religious thought and on the legislative level; others wrote in the same vein to him to call for reform. How come that he asked ISIS Azharite men to undertake the mission of reform?! He controls everything and reigns supreme; he is the one responsible for everything in Egypt during his presidential term; God will judge him for injustices besetting Egyptians, and he cannot use sweet talk in the Last Day!

5- As for this worldly life, Al-Sisi must be questioned by generations of leaders who must accuse him of letting the impoverished classes down in many respects. We fear another revolt might be in the making to come as a huge wave! We fear it might develop into a civil war or strife! In such a case, would the military men point their arms and weapons against armless Egyptians?! The Egyptians were let down twice in 2011 and 2013.

6- This possible revolt might be a struggle for existence: either the military or the people. The latter would be the vast majority of the hungry and impoverished ones who would die either of hunger or in a revolt, in an honorable manner. The high-rank generals in the military have exacted revenge of the terrorist MB and the revolting youths. It is more likely that the generals would order military men to strike the revolting people with all possible arms and weapons, but when thousands of killed victims increase, lower ranks of the military men might join the revolting people, feeling ashamed of themselves for not defending people as a primary duty. Hence, they might turn their arms and weapons to the generals and high-rank ones! To avoid such possible massacres, democratic transition must be employed to face the military rule after Egypt has gotten rid of the terrorist MB rule.  

7- Before reaching such a level of civil strife, we urge and call Al-Sisi to apply reform that will ensure intellectual freedoms of thought, political engagement, expression, and religion; he must reform education, Al-Azhar institution, court judges, policemen, and to eliminate corruption on all levels. He must restore all smuggled and stolen money by tycoons and billionaires. All Mubarak cronies must be arrested and judged again in courts to pay for their crimes. The parliament must supervise all financial levels of the government and to check all responsible people in all posts. Media should be the beacon of freedom of expression to discuss all issues freely with no restrictions of any kind to expose corruption and apply law to those who break it, within an independent fair court and judicial system. All citizens must be equal to one another. The military must return to its barracks on borders of Egypt to defend Egypt, to serve Egyptians, not to oppress and suppress them.

Lastly:

1- If we were in the shoes of Al-Sisi, we would have announced a political program with clear steps to face the one announced by the presidential hopeful who competed with Al-Sisi in 2014 elections. Al-Sisi should have used his soaring popularity at the time to apply reform unquestioned by haters of reform among the corrupt affluent ones, instead of begging money from oil-rich Gulf monarchies.

2- If we were in the shoes of Al-Sisi, we would have redressed any past mistakes by salvaging all possible things and offering apology for Egyptian and apply reform at once on all levels. Egypt must regain its leadership if he does so; it is a shame to make Egypt, the oldest country in the world, beg financial aids from the temporary new countries created in the 20^th century like KSA, the UAE, and Kuwait!

3- Al-Sisi would be ousted if he fails in creating a clear fast reform tangible by all citizens.