ISLAMIC TRILOGY, PART II: LEADERS AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 ALEXANDRIA 00291

USCINCCENT FOR POLAD HOWELL

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: KPRP PINS PGOV PHUM ECON PINR SOCI EG
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC TRILOGY, PART II: LEADERS AND
MOSQUES OF THE ISLAMIC RIGHT IN ALEXANDRIA

REF: (A) ALEXANDRIA 00289
(B) ALEXANDRIA 00290


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1. (CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.)
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2. SUMMARY AND COMMENT: THIS TELEGRAM TRANSMITS
PART II OF OUR REPORT ON THE ISLAMIC RIGHT IN
ALEXANDRIA AND IDENTIFIES SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL
SPIRITUAL AND (POTENTIALLY) POLITICAL LEADERS IN
THIS CITY AND THE MAIN "RADICAL" MOSQUES. WHILE
THERE ARE DOUBTLESS MANY DIVISIONS BETWEEN VARIOUS
FACTIONS, THERE ARE ALSO SUGGESTIONS THAT THE
ISLAMIC RIGHT IS BETTER ORGANIZED THAN SOME
OBSERVERS SUGGEST. THIS MAY ACCOUNT, FOR EXAMPLE,
FOR THE "ISLAMIC GAMAAT'S" RECURRING SUCCESSES
IN ALEXANDRIA UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT UNION ELECTIONS.
MOREOVER, THE ORGANIZATION, DISCIPLINE, AND WELL-
FINANCED MASS PUBLIC PRAYER MEETINGS HELD AT THE
END OF RAMADAN AND THE BEGINNING OF THE 'ID AL-IDHA
SUGGEST THERE MUST BE MORE LINKAGES BETWEEN
PRINCIPAL LEADERS AND VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THAN
MEETS THE EYE. ANOTHER INTERESTING POINT IS THE
CONTINUED ACTIVISM IN ALEXANDRIA OF MANY OF THE
ISLAMIC STUDENT LEADERS OF THE 1970'S, EVEN THOUGH
THEY HAVE NOW LEFT SCHOOL, ENTERED THE WORK PLACE,
AND MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE. THEY MAY NO LONGER
BE DEMONSTRATING IN THE STREETS, BUT THEIR
COMMITMENT TO AN ISLAMIC EGYPT APPEARS, IN MANY
CASES AT LEAST, UNABATED. FUTURE POST REPORTING
WILL ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE THEIR ACTIVITIES AND
THEIR IMPACT ON ALEXANDRIA'S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENT IN GREATER DETAIL. END SUMMARY AND
COMMENT.
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THE SPIRITUAL AND (POTENTIALLY) POLITICAL LEADERS
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3. WITH PERIODIC EXCEPTIONS, LEADERS OF THE
ISLAMIC RIGHT IN ALEXANDRIA NO LONGER CAPTURE
THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER HEADLINES AS THEY DID IN
THE LATE 1970'S AND EARLY 1980'S, WHEN TWO
ALEXANDRIAN CLERICS, AHMAD AL-MAHALLAWI AND
MAHMUD EID, WERE AMONG THE BEST KNOWN OF EGYPT'S
"RADICAL" SHAYKHS. NEVERTHELESS, THE ISLAMIC
RIGHT'S SPIRITUAL AND (POTENTIALLY) POLITICAL
RANKS ARE FAR FROM EMPTY. SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS,
SOME IDENTIFIED OPENLY WITH THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD,
HAVE FOLLOWINGS IN ALEXANDRIA AND CAN BE CONSIDERED
THE ISLAMIC RIGHT'S LEADING SPIRITUAL AND (POTENTIALLY)
POLITICAL LEADERS. THEY ARE BUTTRESSED BY THE
LEADERS OF THE NUMEROUS "ISLAMIC GAMAAT" OR
GROUPS. THE LATTER ARE FOCUSED LARGELY, BUT
NOT EXCLUSIVELY, ON THE ALEXANDRIA UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS. INCREASINGLY, WE HAVE DETECTED "GAMAAT"
ACTIVITY AMONG YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, AND MANY OF
THE "GAMAAT" LEADERS WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY
ARE DRAWN FROM THIS LATTER CATEGORY. FINALLY,
THERE ARE OTHER ISLAMIC RIGHT LEADERS WHO ARE MEMBERS
OF SECULAR POLITICAL PARTIES. THESE MEN ARE NOT
ALL NECESSARILY "RADICAL" IN THEIR RELIGIOUS
VIEWPOINTS, AND SOME ARE CONSIDERED POLITICAL
OPPORTUNISTS WHO HAVE SIMPLY "ADOPTED" THE ISLAMIC
TREND IN ORDER TO FURTHER THEIR OWN POLITICAL
AMBITIONS. WHETHER THEY WILL SURVIVE THE ELECTORAL
LIST VETTING NOW UNDERWAY IN PREPARATION FOR
THE APRIL 6 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
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4. JUST AS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS ARE NO LONGER AS
VISIBLE AS THEY WERE, SO TOO IS IT DIFFICULT TO
PINPOINT INDIVIDUAL MOSQUES AS PARTICULAR "HOTBEDS"
OF THE ISLAMIC RIGHT. IN THIS MESSAGE, WE HAVE
DENOTED SEVERAL OF THE MOSQUES WITH ACTIVE IMAMS
AND CONGREGATIONS, BUT NONE OF THEM APPROACHES,
EITHER SYMBOLICALLY OR POLITICALLY, THE IMPORTANCE
WHICH SHAYKH AL-MAHALLAWI'S "QA'ID IBRAHIM"
MOSQUE HAD BEFORE 1981.
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5. WHAT THIS ALL MEANS IS OPEN TO DEBATE. SOME
INSIST, UNCONVINCINGLY, THAT THE ISLAMIC LEADERSHIP
IN ALEXANDRIA, AS ELSEWHERE IN EGYPT, HAS NO
CENTRAL ORGANIZATION. THEY DEPICT THE ISLAMIC
RIGHT HERE AS BEING LITTLE MORE THAN NUMEROUS,
HIGHLY INDIVIDUALISTIC, RELIGIOUS GROUPS WITH NO
COMMON AGENDA AND LITTLE CONTACT AMONG ONE
ANOTHER WHICH EXPLAINS WHY THEIR SUCCESS IN
LOCAL ELECTIONS HAS BEEN MODEST.
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6. OTHER INFORMED OBSERVERS (INCLUDING A GOOD
SOURCE IN STATE SECURITY) ARE CONVINCED THAT THE
LEADERS OF THE ISLAMIC RIGHT CONSCIOUSLY ADOPTED
A "LOWER PROFILE" IN ORDER TO AVOID RENEWED GOE
RETRIBUTION ON THE SCALE OF SADAT'S 1981 CRACKDOWN
WHILE DEVELOPING ROOTS AMONG THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES
AND FOLLOWERS. WHILE CONCEDING THAT THERE IS
COMPETITION AMONG VARIOUS ELEMENTS COMPRISING THE
ISLAMIC RIGHT, THEY POINT BOTH TO PRESIDENT SADAT'S
1981 ASSERTION THAT THE "ISLAMIC GAMAAT" ARE
ESSENTIALLY AN MB-SPONSORED UNDERGROUND AND TO THE
ISLAMIC RIGHT'S WELL-COORDINATED ORCHESTRATION OF
UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION ELECTIONS AND THE MASS
PUBLIC PRAYER MEETINGS AT THE ALEXANDRIA STADIUM
WHICH MOBILIZE OVER 100,000 WORSHIPPERS TWICE YEARLY.
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7. WE HAVE DIVIDED THE ISLMAIC RIGHT'S SPIRITUAL
LEADERSHIP IN ALEXANDRIA INTO THREE SEPARATE
CATEGORIES. AS NONE OF THESE MEN CURRENTLY HOLDS
AN IMPORTANT POSITION (ASIDE FROM POSSIBLE
MEMBERSHIP) WITHIN A POLITICAL PARTY, THE SEMI-LEGAL
MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD OR ANY OTHER RELIGIOUS GROUPING,
THEIR POLITICAL INFLUENCE IS STILL MORE POTENTIAL
THAN REAL. ON THE ONE HAND, THERE IS NO WAY OF
KNOWING AS YET THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY HARBOR
PERSONAL POLITICAL AMBITIONS. ON THE OTHER,
CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT PROPITIOUS FOR THEM TO ENTER
THE POLITICAL ARENA EVEN IF THEY SHOULD WANT TO.
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8. PRINCIPAL INFLUENCES:
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(A) AHMAD AL-MAHALLAWI, IMAM OF AL-QA'ID IBRAHIM
MOSQUE: SINCE HIS RELEASE FROM PRISON IN 1982,
AL-MAHALLAWI HAS TAKEN A LOWER PROFILE IN
ISLAMIC AFFAIRS. USUALLY HIS FRIDAY SERMONS
FOCUS ON RELIGIOUS MATTERS, NOT POLITICS (ONE
EXCEPTION WAS HIS ANTI-ISRAEL BLAST FOLLOWING
THE SEPTEMBER 1986 ALEXANDRIA SUMMIT). AN
ASCETIC TYPE WHO LIVES HUMBLY, AL-MAHALLAWI IS
QUITE ALOOF AND DOES NOT IMPRESS A WESTERNER AS
A PERSONALITY WITH MUCH CHARISMA. NEVERTHELESS,
HE RETAINS CONSIDERABLE STATURE IN ALEXANDRIA
AND HAS A DEVOTED FOLLOWING. ACCORDING TO
OPPOSIION PRESS REPORTS, IT WAS AL-MAHALLAWI'S
ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS A MOSQUE IN ASYUT LAST YEAR
WHICH SPARKED A SERIOUS CLASH BETWEEN ISLAMIC
RADICALS AND SECURITY POLICE. IN GENERAL, AL-
MAHALLAWI'S RHETORIC HAS MELLOWED IN RECENT
YEARS, ALTHOUGH HE REMAINS A PASSIONATE ADVOCATE
OF AN ISLAMIC STATE. SINCE THE SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT
OF NEW PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, RUMORS HAVE
CIRCULATED THAT AL-MAHALLAWI WILL BE A CANDIDATE
FOR ONE OF THE INDEPENDENT SEATS. IF HE RUNS (AND
IF THE ELECTIONS ARE FAIR),OBSERVERS BELIEVE HE WILL
BE DIFFICULT TO BEAT.
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(B) MAHMOUD EID (AKA MAHMUD 'ID): ALONG WITH
AL-MAHALLAWI, EID WAS VERY ACTIVE IN THE LATE 1970'S.
HE HAS SPENT MOST OF THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS IN THE
GULF, ALTHOUGH HE IS SAID TO RETAIN A DEVOTED
FOLLOWING IN ALEXANDRIA. HE IS ALSO ALLEGED TO
RETAIN SEVERAL OF THE RADICAL ISLAMIC VIEWS
WHICH GOT HIM INTO TROUBLE WITH THE LATE PRESIDENT
SADAT.
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(C) MUHAMMAD AL-MARAGHI: A WAFDIST MEMBER OF THE
PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY, AL-MARAGHI IS KNOWN LOCALLY AS
A LEADING MEMBER OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
AND SPIRITUAL LEADER TO SOME OF THE "ISLAMIC
GAMAAT" (GROUPS) IN THE CITY. IN HIS LATE FORTIES
OR EARLY FIFTIES, HE IS KNOWN AS A FORCEFUL
SPEAKER WHO IS TOTALLY COMMITTED TO AN ISLAMIC
STATE IN EGYPT. HOSTILE TO THE U.S. AND ITS
POLICIES. AL-MARAGHI SEEMS TO HAVE ALMOST AS
MANY DETRACTORS AS HE HAS ADMIRERS, AND HIS
REELECTION TO THE PEOPLES ASSEMBLY IN THE FORTHCOMING
ELECTIONS IS IN DOUBT.
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(D) ADEL EID (AKA ADIL 'ID): AN ARTICULATE AND
RADICAL ALEXANDRIAN LAWYER, EID IS ALLEGED TO
HAVE CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE IN RADICAL ISLAMIC
CIRCLES AND, LIKE AL-MARAGHI, TO BE THE SPIRITUAL
LEADER OF SOME LOCAL "ISLAMIC GAMAAT." ARDENTLY
ANTI-U.S. AND ANTI-ISRAEL, HE ONCE INDICATED HE
WOULD ONLY COME TO CG'S RESIDENCE IF HE COULD BE
CONVINCED "NO ISRAELIS WERE PRESENT." HE WASN'T,
AND HE DIDN'T COME. EID IS ALSO MENTIONED AS A
POSSIBLE CANDIDATE FOR THE PEOPLES ASSEMBLY.
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(E) YASSIN RUSHDI: RUSHDI WAS ALLEGEDLY A
MUSLIM BROTHER AT ONE TIME. HE IS A FORMER NAVAL
OFFICER WHO WAS BOOTED OUT OF THE MILITARY BY
NASSER FOR HIS ISLAMIC ACTIVISM. NOT RESPECTED
AS A SCHOLAR (HE HAS NO SUCH CREDENTIALS),
RUSHDI IS NEVERTHELESS KNOWN AS A CHARISMATIC
AND ARTICULATE LEADER WHO HAS A LARGE AND DEVOTED
FOLLOWING DRAWN FROM THE MIDDLE AND UPPER MIDDLE
CLASSES. HIS SERMONS AND LECTURES ARE AVAILABLE
ON WIDELY-SOLD TAPES. RUSHDI'S LARGE AND TASTEFUL
MOSQUE ("AL-MOWASSAT") IS JAMMED AT PRAYER TIMES
AND FOR HIS EVENING LECTURES. HE IS KNOWN GENERALLY
TO SHY AWAY FROM POLITICAL SUBJECTS AND EMPHASIZE
PERSONAL PIETY. ABOUT FIFTY, HE WELL OFF OWING
TO A CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS HE OPERATES ON THE
SIDE. BECAUSE OF HIS ALLEGED MAGNETIC HOLD ON
UPPER CLASS WOMEN, HE HAS BEEN TERMED BY SOME HERE
AS "THE RASPUTIN OF ALEXANDRIA."
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9. LEADERS OF ALEXANDRIA'S "ISLAMIC GAMAAT":
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(A) AHMAD MAHMUD NAFIS HAMDI: A LEADER OF THE
"ISLAMIC GAMAAT" AT ALEXANDRIA UNIVERSITY'S
ENGINEERING FACULTY, HAMDI WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF THE STUDENT UNION IN EARLY DECEMBER 1986.
VERY RELIGIOUS, HE IS SAID TO BE NON-CONFRONTATIONAL
AND VERY PERSONABLE.
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(B) WAGIH MUHAMMAD ABU HALIMA: CURRENTLY VICE
PRESIDENT OF THE ALEXANDRIA STUDENT UNION, ABU
HALIMA IS ONE OF THE "GAMAAT" LEADERS IN THE
MEDICAL SCHOOL, THE FACULTY WHICH PERHAPS SHOWS
MORE ISLAMIC MANIFESTATIONS THAN ANY OF THE
OTHERS. HE IS SAID TO BE MORE VOCAL AND AMBITIOUS
THAN HAMDI.
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(C) KHALID ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ZAFARANI: HEAD OF
THE PHYSICIANS SYNDICATE IN ALEXANDRIA,
AL-ZAFARANI ACCORDING TO ONE SOURCE IS FRIENDLY
WITH (AND ONCE THE EMPLOYEE OF) DR. ALI MEHELBA,
CHAIRMAN OF THE ANDALUS ACID COMPANY (SEE PART III).
AL-ZAFARANI IS VERY ACTIVE IN THE "GAMAAT"
MOVEMENT. IN HIS MID-30'S, HE HAS FLIRTED WITH
VARIOUS FACTIONS OVER THE PAST DECADE, INCLUDING
"AL-TAKFIR W'AL-HIJRA" IN ITS FORMATIVE YEARS.
CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS ARE UNKNOWN.
AL-ZAFARANI IS SAID TO BE CHARISMATIC. HE AVOIDS
WESTERNERS AND STAYS OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT. STATE
SECURITY TELLS US HE WAS A LEADER OF THE "GAMAAT"
MOVEMENT EARLY IN THE DECADE AND WAS IMPRISONED
FOR HIS ACTIVITIES IN 1981. HE CONTINUES TO BE
UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MANY SOURCES IN ISLAMIC CIRCLES
HERE BELIEVE AL-ZAFARANI MAY BE CONSIDERING A HIGHER
PROFILE. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED TO US HE MAY BECOME
A CANDIDATE FOR THE APRIL 6 PEOPLES ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS.
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(D) SAMIH SAID HASAN AL-SABA: CURRENTLY 27 YEARS
OLD AND THE FORMER HEAD OF THE "GAMAAT" IN THE
ALEXANDRIA MEDICAL FACULTY, AL-SABA WAS IMPRISONED
IN 1981 AND SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED. HE IS
ALLEGEDLY A FOLLOWER OF AL-ZAFARANI, AND STATE
SECURITY ALLEGES SOMETIMES ENGAGES IN ANTI-REGIME
AND ANTI-AMERICAN PAMPHLETERRING (THE LAST TIME
APPARENTLY DURING THE "ACHILLE LAURO" EPISODE).
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(E) SABRI NUR: IN HIS FIFTIES, NUR IS AN OLDER,
BUT CHARISMATIC AND ARTICULATE, LEADER OF ONE
OF THE ISLAMIC GROUPS IN ALEXANDRIA WHICH IS
BELIEVED TO SUPPORT SHAYKH SALAH ABU ISMAIL.
NUR VOICES AN EXTREMIST POLITICAL AGENDA AND
CLAIMS TO HAVE A LARGE AND YOUTHFUL FOLLOWING.
HE IS PERIODICALLY THE SUBJECT OF PRESS INTERVIEWS
AND COMMENTARY IN THE LIBERALS' WEEKLY NEWSPAPER,
"AL-AHRAR."
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(F) AHMAD AL-SAYYID HATAYBA: TWENTY-NINE YEARS
OF AGE, HATAYBA WAS THE HEAD OF THE ISLAMIC
GROUP IN THE ALEXANDRIA FACULTY OF DENTISTRY
UNTIL HIS 1981 ARREST. HE IS CONSIDERED MORE
POLITICIZED THAN SOME OF HIS FELLOW "GAMAAT"
LEADERS AND IS SAID TO FREQUENTLY CRITICIZE GOE
POLICIES.
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(G) FAHMI MUHAMMAD AMER: ANOTHER OF AL-ZAFARANI'S
ALLEGED PROTEGES, AMER IN THE PAST HAS BEEN
ACTIVE IN THE "FAJR AL-ISLAM" MOVEMENT (SEE
PART III). HE WAS A LEADER OF THE "GAMAAT"
MOVEMENT IN THE FACULTY OF ARTS DURING HIS
STUDENT YEARS.
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(H) MAJDI MUHAMMAD HASAN RAJAB WARDA (AKA
MAGDI WARDA): WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PINPOINT
THE MOSQUE WHERE WARDA IS CURRENTLY ACTIVE.
HOWEVER, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IN HIS ACTIVE YEARS
AT ALEXANDRIA'S LAW FACULTY HE WAS A VOCAL AND
HARSH CRITIC OF THE COPTS AND STILL DELIVERS
ANTI-CHRISTIAN AND ANTI-JEWISH POLEMICS PERIODICALLY
FROM ANY ONE OF THE DOZENS OF PRIVATE MOSQUES
IN THE CITY.
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10. ISLAMIC VOICES IN THE ALEX BRANCHES OF THE
SECULAR PARTIES:
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(A) HAMMAD AL-KHAYYAL: A NDP MEMBER OF THE
PEOPLES ASSEMBLY, AL-KHAYYAL IS BEARDED AND
ESPOUSES RELIGIOUS CAUSES. ALEXANDRIANS ARE
SUSPICIOUS OF HIS MOTIVES. AL-KHAYYAL IS
ALLEGED BY THESE SOURCES TO BE A LEFTIST WHO
IS USING HIS NEW ISLAMIC GUISE TO FURTHER HIS
OWN POLITICAL AIMS. SOME IN THE NDP ARE TRYING TO
REMOVE HIM FROM THE PARTY LIST FOR THE FORTHCOMING
ELECTIONS.
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(B) AHMAD AL-SHARNOUBI (AKA AL-SHARNUBI): LIKE
AL-KHAYYAL, AL-SHARNOUBI IS BEARDED AND STRONGLY
SUPPORTS ISLAMIC ISSUES (E.G., HE FAVORS
PROHIBITION AND ADOPTION OF THE "SHARIA"). HE
IS ALSO CONSIDERED BY SOME HERE AS A CLOSET LEFTIST.
HE IS AN NDP MEMBER OF THE PEOPLES ASSEMBLY. SOME
LOCAL PARTY OFFICIALS WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM REMOVED
FROM THE FORTHCOMING PARTY LIST.
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(C) MUSTAFA EL GUEINDY (AKA MUSTAFA AL-GUINDI):
CHAIRMAN OF THE RELIGIOUS COMMITTEE OF THE PEOPLES
ASSEMBLY, AL-GUINDI IS ALSO A SECONDARY SCHOOL
ARABIC TEACHER AND THE IMAM OF KABARI MOSQUE IN
WEST ALEXANDRIA. HE IS VERY RELIGIOUS BUT
REGARDED AS A MODERATE.
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(D) DR. AHMAD SAYYID DARWISH: ACTIVE AS WELL IN
THE LOCAL BRANCH OF THE LIBERALS ("AL-AHRAR") PARTY.
DARWISH IS THE HEAD OF THE PARTY'S YOUTH ORGANIZATION
IN ALBANJNDRIA. O NIS BEING PROMOTED AS A CANDIDATE
FOR THE NEW PEOPLES ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS. HE IS IN
HIS LATE FIFTIES OR EARLY SIXTIES AND IS SUSPICIOUS
OF WESTERNERS.
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RADICAL MOSQUES
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11. IN THE DAYS WHEN THE POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
OF THE ISLAMIC RIGHT HAD A HIGH PROFILE IN
ALEXANDRIA, TWO MOSQUES WERE THE PRINCIPAL
FOCAL POINTS FOR ALMOST WEEKLY DEMONSTRATIONS:
MAHALLAWI'S "AL-QA'ID IBRAHIM" MOSQUE AND "AL-SALLAM"
MOSQUE IN THE BULKLI DISTRICT WHERE SHAYKH MAHMUD
EID HELD FORTH. INFLUENCE IS NOW MORE DISPERSED,
IN PART AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE GOE'S EFFORTS TO
BRING MORE OF EGYPT'S ESTIMATED 40,000 PRIVATE
OR "UNOFFICIAL" MOSQUES UNDER THE CONTROL OF
THE MINISTRY OF AWQAF. THIS EFFORT HAS ONLY
PARTIALLY SUCCEEDED IN ALEXANDRIA WHERE PRIVATELY
BUILT AND FUNDED MOSQUES CONTINUE TO PROLIFERATE.
MEMBERS OF THE "GAMAAT" FREQUENTLY COMPRISE THE
BULK OF THE CONGREGATIONS AT THESE MOSQUES,
WHERE VERY CONSERVATIVE (BUT NOT NECESSARILY
POLITICAL) MESSAGES ARE PREACHED EACH FRIDAY AND
DURING VARIOUS WEEKLY STUDY SESSIONS AND PRAYER
MEETINGS.
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12. FOLLOWING IS AN ANNOTATED LISTING OF SOME
OF THE MORE PROMINENT MOSQUES IN ALEXANDRIA WHERE
THE MORE ACTIVE PROPONENTS OF THE ISLAMIC RIGHT
GATHER:
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(A) "AL-QA'ID IBRAHIM" MOSQUE: AL-MAHALLAWI
HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO RETURN TO THIS MOSQUE, AND
PERIODICALLY HE WILL ATTRACT LOCAL ATTENTION WITH
PROVOCATIVE REMARKS IN HIS FRIDAY SERMONS. AT
PRESENT, IT IS NOT THE CENTER FOR ISLAMIC ACTIVISM
THAT IT WAS IN 1980.
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(B) "AL-SALAM MOSQUE": WITH MUHAMMAD EID OUT OF
THE COUNTRY, THIS MOSQUE IS NO LONGER AS IMPORTANT
A GATHERING POINT FOR THE ISLAMIC RIGHT AS IT
ONCE WAS. HOWEVER, IT IS STILL FREQUENTED BY
WORSHIPPERS IN VERY CONSERVATIVE ISLAMIC ATTIRE.
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(C) "ASR AL-ISLAM" MOSQUE: LOCATED ON A MAIN
STREET IN THE SIDI GABR DISTRICT, THIS MOSQUE
ATTRACTS FULLY VEILED WOMEN AND BEARDED MEN.
IT HAS NO SPECIFIC IMAM, BUT MUHAMMAD MARAGHI
IS SAID TO FREQUENT IT, AND UMAR AL-TALMASANI,
THE LATE MB LEADER, PREACHED THERE IN 1986.
ONE SERMON RECENTLY OVERHEARD BY A CONGEN EMPLOYEE
ATTACKED THE WEALTHY HARSHLY FOR NOT HELPING THE
POOR. ANTI-CHRISTIAN AND ANTI-JEWISH SERMONS ARE
REGULARLY PREACHED, AS WELL. DURING THE SEPTEMBER 1986
ALEXANDRIA SUMMIT, THEN-PRIME MINISTER PERES WAS
SCORNED IN VERY INSULTING TERMS. A MEDICAL CLINIC
OF THE SAME NAME, FOR WOMEN ONLY, IS ASSOCIATED
WITH THIS MOSQUE AND IS USUALLY CROWDED. TREATMENT
IS SAID TO BE GOOD, AND PRICES ARE AFFORDABLE BY
MIDDLE CLASS EGYPTIANS.
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(D) "FAJR AL-ISLAM" MOSQUE: THIS MOSQUE IS
ALLEGEDLY RUN BY A GROUP CALLING THEMSELVES,
"SUPPORTERS OF KHOMEINI"--A STRANGE APPELATION
AS MOST DEVOUT SUNNIS DO NOT CONSIDER SHIA TO BE
MUSLIMS. SERMONS ARE SAID TO BE FREQUENTLY ANTI-
CHRISTIAN, ALLEGING FOR EXAMPLE, THAT CHRISTIANS
ARE ATHEISTS WHO WILL SURELY GO TO HELL.
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(E) "FATIH AL-ISLAM" MOSQUE: LOCATED IN THE
EXCLUSIVE RUSHDI DISTRICT WHERE MANY DIPLOMATS
AND WESTERNERS LIVE, THIS MOSQUE WAS BUILT IN
WHAT WAS INTENDED TO BE A GARAGE. MOST OF THE
CONGREGANTS ARE YOUNG, BEARDED, AND WEAR WHITE
GALIBIYAS. FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL, SERMONS TEND
TO BE APOLITICAL, FOCUSING ON INTERPRETATIONS OF
KORANIC PASSAGES. THICK GLOVES AND OTHER
EXTREMIST ACCOUTREMENTS FOR WOMEN ARE SOLD OUTSIDE
THE MOSQUE ON FRIDAYS.
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(F) "AL-MOAWASSAT" MOSQUE: THIS IS THE MOSQUE
OF YASSIN RUSHDI, THE SO-CALLED "RASPUTIN" OF
THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT IN ALEXANDRIA. RUSHDI IS
NOT CONSIDERED A POLITICAL RADICAL, BUT HIS
MOSQUE IS INCLUDED IN THIS LIST BECAUSE OF THE
NUMBER OF ADHERENTS WHO GATHER HERE EACH WEEK TO
LISTEN TO HIS SERMONS AND TEACHINGS.


HAMBLEY