(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - El-Taher El-Hashmy, secretary-general of the Hashemeya Sufi order and a founder of the Tahrir Party, has called on his fellow Shia Muslims to participate in the January 25 Revolution anniversary celebration in Tahrir Square on Wednesday.
In a statement released on Tuesday, El-Hashmy called for revolutionaries to oppose the former regime's attempts to stifle the country's unfinished revolution. He went on to say that Tahrir Square is the real parliament and the only guarantee of the revolution’s success.
Shias make up around one per cent of the Egyptian population and have been accused by state media of having links to Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and had some of their religious ceremonies banned as a result.
The Tahrir Party, whose main founders are Shia, has come under criticism for alleged foreign influence, while its members claim it is a civil democratic – not a religious – party.
/106