Salafist Borhami supports Sisi in presidential election

CAIRO – 21 March 2018: Vice President of the Salafist Call organization Yasser Borhami, who had supported President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in the 2014 election and considered voting for Sisi a religious demand, has renewed his support.

In a series of conferences, Borhami has urged Salafist Call’s Nour Party members to participate in the 2018 presidential election to avoid a state of chaos in the country.

The Nour Party is the political arm of the Salafist Call movement and was established after the January 25 Revolution in 2011.

Borhami held a conference last week in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and said that the participation in the upcoming election is vital. Convincingly, Borhami added that the Salafist Call cooperates with all state institutions and parties in the country in order for “Islamic” Egypt to survive.

Borhami also warned against the calls to boycott the election, saying that such calls aim to show Egypt as disunited.

On January 28, Nour Party Chairperson Younes Makhioun announced supporting President Sisi for a second term.



Borhami and Nour’s political views since 2012

In May 2012, the Nour Party announced supporting former Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi in the 2012 election.

After Morsi issued the controversial Constitutional Declaration in November of the same year, large masses of Egyptians rushed to the streets, calling on Morsi to cancel it.

Borhami opposed such demonstrations and said they aim to “erode state institutions and drive the country into chaos.” However, on July 3, 2013, which marks the ouster of Morsi following mass demonstrations against him, Borhami released a fatwa (religious edict) that Islamists supporting Morsi should not demonstrate in the streets or clash with anti-Morsi demonstrators.

Over the past four years, Borhami has been known to be a Sisi supporter.



Yasser Borhami participates in the 2015 parliamentary election

Before the 2014 election between Sisi and Egyptian Popular Current Chairman Hamdeen Sabahi, who was Sisi’s sole contender in the election, Borhami announced supporting Sisi, saying it was a religious demand.

Voting for Sisi will more likely help preserve rights of Muslims and non-Muslims, he said, adding that the decision also comes to prevent strife.

Borhami: doctor, preacher

Sixty-year-old Borhami was born in Kafr el-Dawar, Beheira. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1982 and completed his master’s in pediatrics 10 years later. In 1999, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Sharia (Islamic law) from Al-Azhar University.

Borhami, together with a number of doctors from Alexandria University, founded the Salafist Call in 1984.

In 1987, he was detained for allegedly taking part in the assassination attempt against late Mubarak-era Interior Minister Hassan Abu Basha by the militant Islamic “Salavation from Hell” group. He was released a month later.

Borhami has been known to issue controversial fatwas and adopt odd opinions. In May 2016, Borhami said it is not allowed for Muslims to bow before they play karate, which is a traditional act of respect that players adhere to.

One of his most controversial fatwas was when he responded to a question about plastering posters of cartoon characters in kids’ bedrooms, saying such posters are forbidden. Borhami has insisted over the years that he considers non-Muslims as disbelievers; however, he affirmed that they should be respected.

Draft law to fight odd fatwas

A draft law on regulating fatwas (Islamic edicts), which Parliament’s Religious Committee will discuss in the next sessions, might put an end to a series of groundless fatwas issued by unlicensed and unqualified preachers in the media. The move aims to further reform religious discourse.

This is a part of Egypt’s efforts to fight terrorism, extremist ideology and odd fatwas that incite sedition.This is in light of the recent increase in the number of edicts issued and the number of people preaching about religious habits on everything in social media. A mishmash of opinions has raised some controversies and questions among Egyptians.

In a statement before the conference entitled “The role of fatwas in stabilizing the society” from October 17 to 19, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb said that Egypt nowadays is facing an unprecedented wave of distortion of Islam’s teachings issued by unlicensed persons.

“Unfortunately, some have been allowed to issue flawed fatwas that distort Islamic Sharia and violate Islam's true teachings," said Tayeb.