Egypt’s former mufti has told Egyptians who can’t afford to eat meat to stop complaining and have a slice of cake instead.
The former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, had made remarks suggesting an “effective” solution for Egyptians to face high prices.
As Egyptians have been struggling to earn enough to survive, fake nutritional information from a government supported imam is here to save the day.
Ali Gomaa, the former grand Mufti of Egypt and one of the most prominent imams in the country was defending the latest austerity measures that had hardened the Egyptians daily lives, yet he might have taken it too far…
On a local TV channel, Gomaa was addressing Egyptians who complain the increase in meat prices as they became unable to afford it anymore. He went on to give nutritional advice about the number of needed calories for individuals per day, suggesting substituting meat with cakes, could be the answer!
“You all complain that meat is too expensive and you say what are we going to eat?… If you eat two pieces of cake, then that is it, you won’t need a breakfast or dinner..”
“Ali Gomaa: Eat two pieces of cake if you could not afford meat, “If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you”. [The last quote is a verse from Quran]
Gomaa went on to explain his point of view: “Allah created us needing 3200 calories per day, and one piece of cake contains 900, which means if I ate two pieces then that will be enough and I won’t need a breakfast or a dinner or whatever else.”
“So, the two pieces of cakes will count a 1800 calories, where are the rest of the 3200 [the needed amount].”
The imam who seems obviously ignorant of any nutritional knowledge, made himself a subject of mockery. Egyptians are already calling for President Abdel Fattah Sisi to resign, following the latest slash in fuel prices and transportation.
The video flooded the Egyptian social media as users went to criticize the imam for justifying any decision taken by the government, as if for the benefit of the people.
Some users described the imam as the Egyptian version of Marie Antoinette, the French Queen who is famous for her phrase: “Then let them eat bread”, when told that the peasants had no bread.
“He is exactly like Marie Antoinette when she said: “If there was not bread for the poor, let them eat cake”, and she ended up executed with her husband.”
Mohamed addressed the imam, sarcastically, asking him what should he do if he had Diabetes.
“But what people who had Diabetes, like me, should eat?”
Ahmed Elkhateeb pretended he was convinced by the imam’s solution, but found meat cheaper if he wanted to get each individual of his family two pieces of cakes on daily basis.
“A family of two individuals will need 20 pieces of cake per day. The average price of each piece is 15 EGP, which amounts to 300 EGP per day. No Sir, I am going to keep it on meat, as it is cheaper.”
In fact, the imam’s humourous attempt to justify his government’s decisions do have a serious side, as many Egyptians can no longer provide enough to look after thier children.
Sisi floated the Egyptian pound in 2016, in addition to crackdowns on many freedoms inside the country.
Egypt: Copts Attacked After Facebook Post Showing ‘Contempt of Islam’
An attack by a Muslim mob on Copts in a village in the Egyptian governorate of Minya on Monday (9 July) has left the Coptic community holed up in their houses, while security forces patrol the streets.
A local source told World Watch Monitor the situation is still very tense in the village of Menbal, 225km south of Cairo, which was also home to Gaber Mounir Adly, one of the 21 men beheaded by Islamic State in Libya in 2015.
Monday’s attack took place after Muslim villagers in Menbal, which has a population of 45,000, 30% of whom are Copts, accused a Coptic Christian of publishing a post on his Facebook page that insulted Islam, said the source, who did not wish to be named. In his post, published last Thursday (5 July), the 35-year-old Abdo Adel had compared Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, with Jesus.
The Muslim villagers filed a complaint with the police in the nearby city of Matay. Adel was arrested the following day (Friday 6 July) on charges of insulting Muhammad and contempt of Islam. He was put in custody pending further investigation.
On the day of his arrest, a group of young Muslim men tried to attack his house and had to be dispersed by police who were guarding the Copt’s home, according to the source.
‘We will displace you’
Three days later, on Monday evening, the police were called in at 11.30pm because a mob was attacking Copts and their properties in the village.
“The Muslim extremists in our village and the nearby villages incited the Muslim villagers against us …. They began pelting the Coptic-owned houses with stones and bricks, while shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ [Allah is the greatest] and chanting slogans against Copts, such as ‘We will displace you and the priest from our village, oh kaffir [infidels], oh the worshipers of the cross, oh defiled people’,” Girgis Shawky, a 32-year-old resident told World Watch Monitor.
Windows were smashed and some of the Copts sustained minor injuries. The attackers also attempted to break into the St. Tadros Church and the house of the priest, Fr. Makarious El-Kommas Antoun, but security personnel who were guarding the properties stopped them by firing in the air, he said.
However the police were unable to disperse the crowd. Only at about 1am on Tuesday morning (10 July), when regional security forces arrived, was order restored, although none of the attackers were arrested, said Shawky.
He added that “security forces have cordoned off the houses owned by Christians and the church”, while a curfew has been imposed from 8pm until 8am.
‘A state of panic’
“We lived very terrible moments while the mob were attacking our homes. Our children were screaming,” said Hany Adly, a Copt who owns an electrical-supplies shop in the village.
“All of us [Copts] have stayed in our homes. We are afraid to get out to the village streets. There is a state of panic and fear among all of us here. I cannot open my shop. Despite the presence of security forces in the village, we are still receiving threats from our Muslim neighbours. They say they will take revenge on all of us as soon as the security forces leave the village. We are afraid that they will attack us this Friday after their noon prayers.”
