Father Samir on Egypt

Father Samir Kahlil Samir, S.J., an Egyptian-born Catholic priest and Islamic scholar, always provides interesting insights on the Middle East. And so in light of the recent events in Egypt, I did a little search this morning to see if he'd written anything about them. I immediately came across a pertinent article he wrote just a few days ago. In the article -- published on the AsiaNews.it website -- Fr. Samir addressed a current movement among some Muslim intellectuals and theologians aimed at discrediting many of the external practices common among Muslims, and encouraging secularism and the separation of Islam from politics. His comments focus on a document published in Egypt the day before the start of the protests. The document was written by a group of Egyptian Imams and intellectuals and strives to bring about a renewal of Islam that can co-exist with the modern world. If the events in Egypt concern you, you will want to read Fr. Samir's article published Thursday, as well as his earlier article published on Tuesday. Here are the links:

Jan 28: Egyptian revolt not only political but also spiritual and Islamic


Jan 26: Egyptian Imams and intellectuals: Renewing Islam towards modernity