(AP) Maggie Michael - Egyptian authorities are tightening control on mosques around the country, purging preachers and seeking to control the message, as the military-backed government cracks down on Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood following his ouster last summer. The Religious Endowments Ministry now sets strict guidelines for sermons and some 12,000 freelance preachers have been barred from delivering sermons. The aim, officials say, is to prevent mosques from spreading extremism, after widespread criticism that the Brotherhood and its more ultraconservative allies used them to build support, recruit new followers and sway voters.
2014-04-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive