Christians Under Attack

Sunni Muslims to be the most prestigious school of Islamic learning - because they are "not a laughing matter". To back their move, local English newspaper the Egyptian Gazette reported, Al-Azhar scholars have relied upon the word of the prophet Mohammed, who dictated that some issues were not subject to humour. As such, scriptwriters must avoid devising scenes that involve marriage and divorce, said Sheikh Farahat el-Mongi, a member of Al Azhar's Fatwa Committee, who added: "How can we joke when we watch a young man and woman getting legally married on TV?" However, some wonder why the issue of marriage and divorce has emerged nowadays, since such scenes have been viewed for many years on Egyptian screens. El Mogi explained that prohibiting marriage scenes is better than an actress bearing the guilt of being married to two husbands - one in real life, and one in front of cameras. However not everyone agrees: Amna Nosseir, also on Al-Azhar University staff, as a professor of Islamic Jurisprudence, said that the fatwa portrays a negative image of Islam. "Actors portray human society and ... when marriage takes place in a film or a soap opera it isn't valid, as there is no true intention .. and it isn't performed in public," she said, Nosseir described such fatwas as "baseless", arguing that that such edicts trigger anti-Islam campaigns. For his part, scriptwriter Mohamed Suleiman said Al-Azhar "is above intruding into such trivial matters", and that he and his colleagues "strongly reject the rigid censorship of social drama that aims to convey a purposeful message." (ANSAmed