A group of students have marched from the university to the headquarters of Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb. Mohamed Eissa, a student attending the march, said there were hundreds of students at the headquarters at the time of writing.
Al-Azhar released a statement on Tuesday saying that there is no reason for the issue to become political, because it is a “passing” incident which has taken place at many other universities.
The statement added that over 24,000 students had eaten meals at the university.
Other students have announced that they will not attend classes, although a few must take exams. Their demands include the dismissal of the head of the university, his aides, the secretary general, and the head of the university dorms
A march from the female student dorms is reportedly on its way to the headquarters.
The head of the Student Union, Ahmed Al-Baqri, also called for the head of the university’s dismissal. Muslim Brotherhood students have dominated the student union of Al-Azhar since elections were held in March. Maysara Abdel-Wahab, the student responsible for the dorms in the student union committee, said on Monday that there had been a marked improvement in the cleanliness and behaviour of dorm workers. He praised the cooperation of university administration and officials.
Al-Azhar University has two dorms, one for its male students and another for its female students. The male students’ dorms are made up of two adjacent dorms. For lunch on Monday, one dorm served chicken, which caused the food poisoning outbreak.
Photos By: Mohamed Omar