Religious fanaticism is a Byproduct of ignorance

On November 13, 2012, Mr. W. Al-Ibrashi on Dream TV Channel hosted controversial Islamic Sheikh Morgan, who was among the followers of Bin Laden in Afghanistan. Sheikh Morgan has been threatening to destroy Egyptian antiquities such as the Sphinx and the Pyramids. He is under the illusion that such antiquities are being worshipped, something that is in violation of Islamic beliefs. Sheikh Morgan is a fanatic ignorant and dangerous person, not only for Egypt but also for world stability, by his own admission. He was involved in the destruction of the largest Buddha statue in Afghanistan, so he says. It is of interest to notice that during the talk on Al-Ibrashi’s program, none of the participants raised the possibility that the destruction of the Buddha statue in Afghanistan led to the ugly violence that has been taking place against the Muslim minority by Buddhists in Myanmar.

It is also amazing that such an extremist and ignorant man like Sheikh Murjan is left to issue threats against Egyptian antiquities. This person should be prosecuted and put behind bars, because he has already created fears that will impact the Egyptian tourist industry. Tourism is the major source of revenue for Egypt, which has already been negatively impacted by the lack of security during the past 18 months. Sheikh Morgan is a dangerous person to be left free and if President Mursi’s government is afraid to prosecute him, then he should be sent to Myanmar and I am sure he will be tried there for the offenses he committed against their beliefs.

It is interesting to notice here that the day following the airing to this program, the channel Dream was taken off the air!!!!!