Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments is planning to carry out a series of measures to combat drug abuse among public sector employees.
The Ministry unified Friday prayer sermons at all the country’s mosques to address the dangers of drugs and addiction. The sermon was also published on the Ministry website in several languages.
The government continues to implement intense anti-drug measures by carrying out tests for all the public sector employees, threatening to fire those who do not take these tests. It also allows employees to apply for addiction treatment in secret and free of cost.
Legislative amendments will be made to impose harsher measures against drug abuse and they will be applied to all workers, an informed source said.
The source, who is a ministry employee, said: “These tests aim to protect society from the threats of by drug abuse.”
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had previously stressed that Egypt will fire any employee found to be abusing drugs.
He made the announcement shortly after a railway employee involved in a deadly Cairo train station accident in February tested positive for narcotics.
Sisi vowed that the employee will be held accountable by law.
The Ministry of Endowments explained that it chose to translate the Friday sermon as part of its duty to raise awareness, adding that it sought to demonstrate that Islam was a religion of peace and mercy that promotes tolerance and coexistence.
It stressed that drugs and addiction, and terrorism are two sides of the same coin as both are deadly to the users. Wasting money on drugs is no different than wasting money to carry out terror acts, it said.
