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Islamic institution issues edict to ban Egyptian book of poems
Cairo, Nov 05: Al-Azhar, the most prestigious Sunni Islam institution, has issued an edict banning a recently published book of poetry because of obscenity, but the author has said he will defy the order and reprint his book in the latest controversy between religion and the arts in Egypt.
Cairo, Nov 05: Al-Azhar, the most prestigious
Sunni Islam institution, has issued an edict banning a
recently published book of poetry because of obscenity, but
the author has said he will defy the order and reprint his
book in the latest controversy between religion and the arts
in Egypt.
'Commandments of Love for Women', by renowned
Egyptian poet Ahmed-el-Shahawy, has been in and out of
bookstores since its publication earlier this year.
In the collection, the poet advises women how to show love and keep men attracted, combining Quranic verses with sometimes explicit language.
"Know that there is nothing greater than the meeting of your souls, and the joining of your bodies; the prophet said there is nothing better for those who are in love than lovemaking within wedlock." Religious critics of the book say the Islamic references are out of context and should not be used to describe intimacy between men and women.
In September, an Islamist legislator protested the book in Parliament and the publishers ordered it off the shelves to be reviewed by a reading committee and al-Azhar. But a day later, the book was back on store shelves, reportedly due to the intervention of powerful official figures.
On Saturday, a 28-member committee of al-Azhar University's Islamic Research Academy issued a fatwa, or religious edict, saying the book should not be circulated or republished. Bureau Report
In the collection, the poet advises women how to show love and keep men attracted, combining Quranic verses with sometimes explicit language.
"Know that there is nothing greater than the meeting of your souls, and the joining of your bodies; the prophet said there is nothing better for those who are in love than lovemaking within wedlock." Religious critics of the book say the Islamic references are out of context and should not be used to describe intimacy between men and women.
In September, an Islamist legislator protested the book in Parliament and the publishers ordered it off the shelves to be reviewed by a reading committee and al-Azhar. But a day later, the book was back on store shelves, reportedly due to the intervention of powerful official figures.
On Saturday, a 28-member committee of al-Azhar University's Islamic Research Academy issued a fatwa, or religious edict, saying the book should not be circulated or republished. Bureau Report