A group of Egyptian citizens have filed a complaint to the office of the attorney-general demanding the cancelation of a preacher’s television program after he issued a fatwa (a religious edict) on the sale of antiquities.
Sheikh Mohamed Hassan, a prominent preacher, currently presents a program which is aired live, features inquiries via phone calls and he answers them on the spot.
In response to a telephone call regarding Islam’s position on selling antiquities, Hassan said, “If it is found on land that you own, or in your house, then it is yours by right and you are not doing anything wrong.” As for antiquities which are found on a public land, Hassan explained, a Muslim is prohibited from selling them, advising that he should re-bury them.
The people who filed the complaint argue that this fatwa means that all antiquities discovered on private land are the possessions of the owner of that land, and that he has the right to sell and profit from them. This contradicts the law, which punishes any private circulation of antiquities.
They argue that the fatwa poses a serious threat to Egyptian history and its national heritage.
Source: Egypt Then and Now [October 10, 2010]