Egypt bans unlicensed mosque preachers in crackdown on Islamists

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Egyptian authorities will bar 55,000 unlicensed clerics from preaching in mosques in the latest move against sympathisers of deposed Islamist President Mohammed Mursi, the minister of religious endowments said on Tuesday.Egyptian authorities have been cracking down on Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood since the army toppled him on July 3 following mass protests against his rule.Minister of Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said the clerics lack licenses to preach and were considered to be fundamentalist and a threat to the Egypt’s security.The ban will mainly target small unlicensed mosques or random praying areas.“The decision is only meant to legalize the preaching process during Fridays’ mass prayers and make only those authorized to do it, do it, Gomaa told Reuters.Authorities moved to crush the Brotherhood following the overthrow of Mursi, Egypt’s first democratically leader. More than 2,000 Islamist activists have been arrested and most of the Brotherhood’s leaders, including Mursi, jailed on charges of inciting or taking part in violence. Some have also been accused of terrorism or murder.Over the same period, more than 1,000 people have been killed in political violence. Most were protesters killed by security forces breaking up pro-Mursi camps in Cairo. About 100 were members of the security forces./149