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Int’l Conference in Cairo on Social Media's Impact on Religious Rhetoric

The Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments. (The Ministry's electronic portal)
The Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments. (The Ministry's electronic portal)
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Int’l Conference in Cairo on Social Media's Impact on Religious Rhetoric

The Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments. (The Ministry's electronic portal)
The Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments. (The Ministry's electronic portal)

 An international conference in Cairo set to discuss the impact of social media on religious rhetoric is scheduled to be held on Sep 9-10.

Egyptian Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa affirmed on Saturday that the conference would address cooperation with cyberspace.  Gomaa termed the current phase as ‘distinctive’ in the history of preaching and a new confrontation that is no less important or difficult than the first confrontation led by the ministry during the past years to liberate the mosques from extremist groups.  

The Egyptian government carried out previous steps to control the minbars of mosques, where religious preaches are made. Egypt has banned unauthorized preachers from giving sermons or teaching Islam in mosques. The decree also threatened fines and jail for whoever would violate this.  

The minister showcased during a meeting with the media committee of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs of the Ministry of Endowments, the preparations for the 34th international conference of the council.  

The Middle East News Agency quoted Gomaa as saying that Sisi’s sponsorship of the conference is a major support to the moderate intellect on the international level.  

He further added that artificial intelligence is essential and should be used in what serves humanity.  

The conference would address several matters including the significance of cyberspace in the current time, the unconventional ways and their impact on religious rhetoric, electronic fatwa, online teaching and memorization, and the irrational use of cyberspace. 

Gomaa affirmed that the Egyptian president backs the renewal of the religious rhetoric, noting that restless efforts were exerted to restore the mosques from extremist groups. 

Earlier, Sisi stressed that among the current priorities is to establish a correct understanding of the religion.  

In January, Sisi gave instructions to establish large mosques nationwide, belonging to the Ministry of Religious Endowments, to spread true religion. 

He highlighted the need to select good locations for the new mosques and allocate appropriate spaces for them. 

The president also issued instructions to increase the efficiency of the main mosques in all governorates. 

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Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A Lebanese security source said the target of a deadly Israeli airstrike on central Beirut early Saturday was a senior Hezbollah official, adding it was unclear whether he was killed.

"The Israeli strike on Basta targeted a leading Hezbollah figure," the security official told AFP without naming the figure, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The early morning airstrike has killed at least 11 people and injured 63, according to authorities, and had brought down an eight-storey building nearby, in the second such attack on the working-class neighbourhood of Basta in as many months.

"The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads," said Samir, 60, who lives with his family in a building facing the one that was hit.

"It felt like they had targeted my house," he said, asking to be identified by only his first name because of security concerns.

There had been no evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military for the Basta area.

After the strike, Samir fled his home in the middle of the night with his wife and two children, aged 14 and just three.

On Saturday morning, dumbstruck residents watched as an excavator cleared the wreckage of the razed building and rescue efforts continued, with nearby buildings also damaged in the attack, AFP journalists reported.

The densely packed district has welcomed people displaced from traditional Hezbollah bastions in Lebanon's east, south and southern Beirut, after Israel intensified its air campaign on September 23, later sending in ground troops.

"We saw two dead people on the ground... The children started crying and their mother cried even more," Samir told AFP, reporting minor damage to his home.

Since last Sunday, four deadly Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut, including one that killed Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.

Residents across the city and its outskirts awoke at 0400 (0200 GMT) on Saturday to loud explosions and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

"It was the first time I've woken up screaming in terror," said Salah, a 35-year-old father of two who lives in the same street as the building that was targeted.

"Words can't express the fear that gripped me," he said.

Saturday's strikes were the second time the Basta district had been targeted since war broke out, after deadly twin strikes early in October hit the area and the Nweiri neighbourhood.

Last month's attacks killed 22 people and had targeted Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa, who made it out alive, a source close to the group told AFP.

Salah said his wife and children had been in the northern city of Tripoli, about 70 kilometres away (45 miles), but that he had to stay in the capital because of work.

His family had been due to return this weekend because their school reopens on Monday, but now he has decided against it following the attack.

"I miss them. Every day they ask me: 'Dad, when are we coming home?'" he said.

Lebanon's health ministry says that more than 3,650 people have been killed since October 2023, after Hezbollah initiated exchanges of fire with Israel in solidarity with its Iran-backed ally Hamas over the Gaza war.

However, most of the deaths in Lebanon have been since September this year.

Despite the trauma caused by Saturday's strike, Samir said he and his family had no choice but to return home.

"Where else would I go?" he asked.

"All my relatives and siblings have been displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs and from the south."