CAIRO: Egypt s top Islamic cleric Sheikh Mohammed Tantawy has been hospitalized with thrombosis of the leg, state-owned media reported on Sunday.
Tantawy, 80, who heads Al-Azhar, the bastion of Sunni Islam, felt tired during meetings on Thursday and has been admitted to hospital, the official Al-Ahram daily said.
His health is reassuring and constantly improving, the official MENA news agency quoted Doctor Ezzeddin Essawy as saying.
An associate told AFP on condition of anonymity that Tantawy could be released from hospital today or tomorrow.
Tantawi, whose post is government-appointed, is an often controversial figure in Egypt.
Earlier this month he urged Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza, only days after saying he was unaware the Palestinian territory was under siege.
A few days ago lawyer Essam Sultan, also a member of Al-Wasat party, called on the Islamic Research Council to take the necessary action Tantawy for violating Al-Azhar s constitution and misrepresenting it.
Sultan told Daily News Egypt that he sent an official warning to the Council demanding that they relieve Tantawy of his position for the statement he made on TV, deemed insulting to the Palestinian cause.-AFP with additional reporting by Daily News Egypt.
