By Dalia Rabie
CAIRO: Head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Sheikh Yousef El-Qaradawi called on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to liberate Egypt of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s cabinet in the Friday sermon he delivered in Tahrir Square.
“I urge the army to free us from the cabinet that Mubarak formed. We want a new government, away from those who are behind the battle of the camels and who run over protesters with cars,” El-Qaradawi said.
He also called on the army to release all political detainees who lived years in prison due to emergency laws and military courts.
El-Qaradawi was speaking to a crowd of hundreds of thousands who gathered in Tahrir Square for the “Friday of Victory,” marking a week after president Hosni Mubarak stepped down and to reiterate their demands for democracy and justice.
“Today I will not address only Muslims; I’m addressing Muslims and Copts, I’m addressing all Egyptians,” he said.
“I salute [the army], and I know they won’t disappoint. The Egyptian army is no less honorable than its Tunisian counterpart,” El-Qaradawi said.
“It didn’t use force against Egyptians, and it adheres to freedom and democracy.”
El-Qaradawi also lauded the youth that started the revolution, and advised them to keep the momentum, saying the “revolution is not over.”
“We saw people from all over Egypt, from all walks of life; educated, uneducated, women, men, young, old … they all became one, working together towards freeing Egypt from tyranny and injustice,” he said.
El-Qaradawi also warned against “hypocrites” who wish to steal the revolution. “Be patient, maintain unity and beware of the infiltrators,” he said.
He then addressed the Egyptian people as a whole, saying Egypt was mentioned in the Quran.
“Egypt triumphed over sectarianism; Christians stood next to Muslims, and Christians were protecting Muslims as they prayed,” he said. “In this square sectarianism died.”
“We are all Egyptians, we are all for justice.”
Finally, El-Qaradawi addressed Arab leaders, urging them not to “stop history,” and stand in the way of their people.
“Negotiate with your people, respect their minds.”
El-Qaradawi said he hopes to see a free Jerusalem, just as God allowed him to see a free Egypt, calling on the armed forces to open the Rafah borders “to our brothers and sisters in Gaza.”
After the Friday prayers, Tahrir Square echoed chants such as “The people demand cleansing the country,” and “No to Hosni, no to his supporters.”
A man attending the “Friday of Victory” in Tahrir Square prays while perched on a tree. (Photo by Hassan Ibrahim)
