Sisi Pledges to Improve Religious Rhetoric

Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Sisi Pledges to Improve Religious Rhetoric

Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has stressed that Egypt remains committed to its mission to improve religious rhetoric.

"This is a collaborative responsibility that requires concerted efforts so that we build together a bright and wise intellectual path … to face challenges and build the future state," Sisi said Sunday.

In a speech marking the Prophet’s birthday, the president urged religious authorities to double their efforts to spread tolerance and correct religious misconceptions.

Sisi noted that the message of Islam values knowledge and science, and that the first word in Quran is “read.”

He further underlined that awareness is a key factor for a nation’s stability and progress.

The president stressed the importance of confronting individuals who take the holy words out of context and those who seek to stray people away from performing "the divine commands of reconstruction and reform of the world in what is good for humanity as a whole."

For his part, Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb shed light on the importance of saving Muslim communities from the inhumane conditions that have been imposed by "some people who claim they abide by the instructions of the Prophet, and his religion and jurisprudence, while they kill innocents."

Tayyeb slammed those individuals who "turn Allah's mosques to arenas for war where lives are lost, blood is shed, bodies shattered, and sanctities violated.”



Israeli Strike South of Beirut Kills Commander in Jama'a Islamiya Group

A soldier of the Lebanese army stands next to the vehicle that was targeted by the Israeli army in Baaouerta. (X)
A soldier of the Lebanese army stands next to the vehicle that was targeted by the Israeli army in Baaouerta. (X)
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Israeli Strike South of Beirut Kills Commander in Jama'a Islamiya Group

A soldier of the Lebanese army stands next to the vehicle that was targeted by the Israeli army in Baaouerta. (X)
A soldier of the Lebanese army stands next to the vehicle that was targeted by the Israeli army in Baaouerta. (X)

An Israeli drone strike south of the Lebanese capital killed a top commander from the Jama'a Islamiya group, the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The strike on Tuesday morning killed Hussein Atawi, a leading commander in the armed branch of Jama'a Islamiya known as the Fajr Forces, as he was driving from his home to his office in Beirut, the statement said.

The Fajr Forces fired rockets across Lebanon's southern border at Israel throughout the year-long war that ended last year in a ceasefire deal. Israeli airstrikes killed several of the group's members during the conflict.

Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory, mostly targeting fighters from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah or its arms depots. Israeli troops also still occupy five hilltop positions in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon, Hezbollah and the Jama'a Islamiya have condemned the strikes and Israeli troop presence, calling them violations of the truce and of Lebanon's sovereignty. Israel says the fighters and weapons pose a threat to Israeli civilians.