Publication

This paper zeros in on the future relationship between religion, politics, and radicalism in Egypt. After tracing the historical dynamics between the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafism, and the post-1952 military regime, the text’s author then turns to the Egyptian state’s current religious role. Basically, he focuses on the role of the Ministry of Endowments (MOE), which is a sprawling body within the state that 1) controls tens of thousands of mosques, 2) dictates the contents of the all-important Friday sermon, and 3) decides who is officially permitted to preach or not. Finally, the author contemplates whether Egypt has shown that repression can produce religious moderation.