Crecelius

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Al-Azhar in the RevolutionAuthor(s): Daniel CreceliusReviewed work(s):Source: Middle East Journal, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Winter, 1966), pp. 31-49Published by: Middle East InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4323953 .

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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTIONDaniel Crecelius

IO N theeveof theYoungOfficers'oupd'etat n July,1952,al-Azharwas suffering rom the consequences f more thanhalf a centuryofspasmodic eformand severepoliticalcrisesarising rom the generalconflictbetweenEgyptianmodernists ndtraditionalists, conflictwhichnatu-rallyrevolvedaroundal-Azharandits systemof education.'For both groupsthisideological onfrontation adbeencrystallizedn specificssuesconcerningthecontrolof al-Azhar nd the diminishing vailability f satisfactoryobs foral-Azhar's raduates.2This struggle,then,betweenthe two competing deo-logicalorientations,nfluenced he issuesanddescribed he lines of battle forthemore ntensepoliticalstrugglebetweenparliament ndking for controlofal-Azhar nd its systemof religiouseducation.Egyptianpoliticsafter the FirstWorld War can be characterizeds a tri-angular truggle or authority mongthe British, heking and theparliament.As the instrumentor thecentralizationf authority, arliament enerallyhadthesupport f modernistswho wished o counteracthe influence f theBritish,to limit the powerof the king in the Britishmanner,and to unite the in-dependent ystemof religiouseducationwith the newersystemof governmentcontrolled ducation.The fluidstate of politicalrelationshipsn this unstablesystemforcedaconstantrealignment f politicalalliances. In attemptingo bolsterhis owninsecureposition he kingthrashed boutfor temporary llies,one time invok-ing Britishaid againsta rebelliousparliament, ne time packingparliamentwith politicians aithful to himself, anothertime standingwith parliament

1. For a general survey of the movement o reformal-Azhar,see BayardDodge, Al-Azhar:A Millenium of Muslim Learning,Washington, D.C., 1961; and 'Abd al-Mut'al al-Sa'ldi,Tarikhal-Ilshh i l-Azhar,Cairo,1950.2. See Nadav Safran, Egpyt in Search of Political Community,Cambridge,1963, for anexcellentstudy of the consequences f the modernization rocess or Egyptianpolitical orientations. DANIELCRECELIUSs assistantprofessorof MiddleEasthistoryat CaliforniaStateCollege,LosAngeles, California.

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32 THE MIDDLEEAST JOURNALagainst he British. But throughout he periodof these realignments ne allyremained onstant.The activeantagonism f the groupof 'ulams' o both theBritishand parliament urnedal-Azhar nto a royalistbastion. It often pro-vided his onlysupport n simultaneoustrugglesagainst he Britishand parlia-ment. But thisalliancebetween he throneandal-Azharhad the unfortunateresult of settingthe modernizing ationalists gainstboth institutions.Since1919, al-Azhar's articipationn the nationalistmovementquantitatively ndqualitativelyessenedas it came under attackfrom the Egyptiannationaliststhemselves.3Parliament nd the politicalpartiesnow became he instrumentsto control the throne and al-Azharand to introducereforms nto Egyptiansociety.The cleavage n Egyptian ociety nfluenced y the processof "moderniza-tion" grew everwider as the modernists ndtraditionalistsoundno commongroundfor agreementor cooperation.The majorityof conservativeulama'rejectedany thoughtof a reinterpretationf unalterable slamic raditionordoctrine ndsuccessfully isciplined r ostracizedrom theirbodyreformers fall attitudes,4uchas MuhammadAbduh, All 'Abdal-Raziq,Taha Husayn,Rashid Ridi, Sa'd Zaghlul, Mustafa al-Marighl, and Khalid MuhammadKhalid.5The 'ulama' ontinuedo wardoff serious eformby insisting hatanyattackon al-Azhar r its traditionswas an attackon Islam tself,but their suc-cessful defenseof al-Azhar'sndependent ositionunder he patrimony f theking, coupledwith theirrejection f anybut tokenstructuraleform, urtheralienated he religious ommunityrom the modernizing gyptian lite, aggra-vated this wound n Egyptian ocietyand forcedthemodernizerso work theirwayaroundal-Azhar ndreligiousquestions.6By theirrefusalto countenance eform he shaykhsdeniedthemselvesheopportunityo help shapethe courseof the reformmovementwhichnever-

3. The noticeablewithdrawalby al-Azhar rom the nationalistmovementafter 1919 is indica-tive of the inabilityof al-Azhar o play a more active r6le in the nationalistmovement oward secu-larism. New groups and institutions,such as politicalgroupings,parliament, he newly emergentnationalist-inspiredmiddle class, and the politicizedstudentsof the government chools took overmanyof the formerfunctionsof the men of al-Azhar. To make mattersworse, the Azharis con-tinued to withdraw from society under the constantattacks of the nationalists. When religiononce more becamea factor in Egyptianpolitics it was the Ikwanal-Muslimunand not the men ofal-Azharwho championedraditional slam.4. Perhaps"restoration" r "purification"might be a better description han "reform"whendiscussing slamicattitudesor doctrines,as A. L. Tibawisuggests n "EnglishSpeakingOrientalists,"Islamic Quarterly (July-December) 1964, pp. 73-88, for "reform" eems to imply that somethingis wrong with Islam itself. These are also the phrasesthat Islamic modernistsuse.5. The reformers'positionwas seriously weakenedby the fact that they did not representanorganizedgroup, but a collection of individualreformers,often antagonistic o one another. Bytheir ostracism rom the general body of 'ulama',being in some cases stripped of their title of'Xlim, he reformersost the opportunityo work for reformwithin the religious community.nstead,theyhadto face the stigmaof these who were put in the positionof "attacking"slam.6. It was for this reasonthat MuhammadAll preferred o introducean entirely new schoolsystemratherthan institutereform at al-Azhar. Khedive Isml'il likewise createdDar al-'Ulim toavoid a direct confrontationwith religious conservativesover any reform within the religioussystemof education. The old is never destroyed; t is simply allowed to lapse into disuse.


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AL-AZHARIN THE REVOLUTION 33thelessevolved.A continuous attlewas foughtoverthe issueof reformalonga myriad f fronts,but themajorconfrontations erecentered n thequestionof education.Two opposingsystemsof education, ach basedon a specific etof valuesand judgments, ad developed,butthe processof modernization astipping the balanceever more positively towardthe government ontrolledsystem.Since 1900, the modernistshave revitalizedand expanded he embryonicgovernmentchool systemas a way of introducingmodern deaswithoutac-tuallytouching he traditional eligioussystem.A government irected choolfor q.1is was developed n 1907 in an attempt o expose qsklis o a broadercurriculum.The Egyptianuniversitywhich openedin 1908has had an enor-mous role in traininggenerations f Egyptiansdedicatedo reform. As theseandothermodern nstitutionsookrootin Egypt heybegan to limit the func-tions of traditional slamic nstitutions.The ruling elite, drawnalmostexclu-sivelyfromthe ranksof thosewhohada significant xposureo Westerneduca-tion,7usedthese new institutions, nd especiallyparliament, s the instrumentsfor the development f theirprograms.Parliamentontinually xpanded hejurisdictionf the civil courtsystemat the expenseof the shari'ah ystemasWestern-inspiredaw encroached ponthe domainof thesharl'ah.In a directattempt o subject he entireAzharsystem o its will, parliamentappropriatedhe Azharbudget to itself and claimed responsibilityor keyappointments t al-Azharn the famous aw Number15 of 1927.8 When itfounditself thwartedby the combined ppositionof the king and the shaykhsof al-Azhar, arliamentetaliated gainstall shaykhsby discriminatinggainstAzhargraduateswhen they soughtgovernment ositionsand held up appro-priations or the Azharbudget, hereby orcingthe king to subsidizeal-Azharfrom his privatetreasury.The king and the shaykhswere now thrown ntoa tight embrace.

As theAzhariswithdrew rompublicaffairsunder heattacks f the nation-alists the cleavagebetween he two generalorientations rew everwider. The'ulama'ealously uardedhatwhichtheyhadand obstinately pposedanysug-gestion that might compromiseheir authority,but their own strengthwasweakening n directproportion o the growing strength of the modernistmovement.The marchof reformwithin al-Azhartself was tediousand hard fought,supportedas it was by such a small group of reform-mindedulama'.Thebattlewas,however,over structuralrganizationather hansubstantivessues.Despite appearancesf far reachingchangebetween 1908-1936,such as theadditionof modern ourses o thecurriculum,ectrganizationlong the linesof

7. Manyof the leaders,suchas TahhaHusaynand Sa'd Zaghlul,were actuallygraduatesof theAzharsystem.8. For an accountof the strugglebetweenparliamentand the king over the implementationof this law, see Fakhral-Din al-Ahmadial-Zawahiri, l-Siyisahw al-Azhar,Cairo,1945.


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34 THE MIDDLEEAST JOURNALa modemuniversity nd the regulation f diplomasand facultyranks,al-Azharin 1952 was little changed n substance nd sadly out of touchwith Egyptianrealities.9As an indication f the slow paceof actualreformbeneathal-Azhar'spublicespousalof reform,one can mention hat English,which first appearedin the curriculum s earlyas 1901 and whichKing Faruiq rdered o be taught,along with French,Hebrew,Persian,Chinese,and Turkish,was not taughtatal-Azharuntil 1958 when Mahmuid haltuit,hen Vice-Rector, nnounced hatEnglish nstructionwould begin immediately."0It can be seen, then, that the YoungOfficersnherited nationdeeplysplitovermodernist nd traditionalistrientations,nunreformedAzhar,anda reli-gious class which was desperatelyrying o defendits own crumbling ositionwhile refusing o participaten themodernizationf Egyptianife and thought.

IIReligion was one of the most explosive ssues the Revolutionhad imme-diately o face. The threat o the Revolutionwas not fromal-Azhar, owever,but fromthe highly organized,powerfulandaggressive khwan al-Muslimin,the MuslimBrethren.Facedwith the Ikhwandesirefor power,the Free Offi-cers madeobviousovertures or al-Azhar'supportand allowed the idea of

religious eform o laydormant ntiltheirownpositionwas secure.UsingGeneralNagib as theirsymbolandspokesman,hecliqueof YoungOfficers ave publicassuranceso the 'ulama'of al-Azhar hat they stoodforandwould upholdsound Islamicprinciples.Besidespaying frequentofficialvisitsto al-Azhar's haykhs, he Free Officersmade it a conspicuous ollectivehabitto passthe important ridayprayerat al-Azhar tself or one of theothergreat mosquesof Cairowhere the shaykhsand public could bear witness totheirpiety. Althoughthe Free Officersearly showedthemselveswilling tocooperatewith theIkhwan o gaintheirsupport,heiraversiono the extremistprinciplesof the Brethren," oupledwith theirunwillingnesso sharepower,drove them to strengthen heir ties with al-Azhar,to which the Ikhwanorganizationwasgenerallyopposed.'2

9. There was no significantstructuralchange at al-Azharbetween 1936-1952. See Dodge,op. cit.; Sa'idl, op. cit.; H.A.R. Gibb, ModernTrends in Islam, Chicago,1947; and Wilfred C.Smith, Islam in ModernHistory,New York, 1957.10. Al-AzharUniversity,no author,Cairo,1950.11. For published studies on the Ikhwanmovementsee ChristinaHarris, Nationalism andRevolutionin Egypt, The Hague, 1964; Ishaq Husseimi, The Moslem Brethren,Beirut, 1956; J.Heyworth-Dunne,Religious and Political Trendsin ModernEgypt,Washington, D.C., 1950. Forthe best and most thoroughaccount to date see RichardMitchell, unpublishedPh.D. thesis, TheSociety of the MuslimBrothers,PrincetonUniversity,1960.12. Although individual Azhariswere fervent membersof the Ikhwan, the two organizationsfought bitterpamphletand verbal wars over their respectiventerpretations f Islam. An indicationof the divisionbetweenthe two organizations s the fact that H{asan l-Banna, he IkhwanSupremeGuide, madeonly one appearance December12, 1947) at al-Azhar. Husseini, op. cit., p. 20 andpersonal nterviewwith the author.


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AL-AZHARIN THE REVOLUTION 35The mutuallyantagonistic spirations f the Free Officers,now reconsti-tutedas theRevolutionary ommandCouncil RCC), andthe Ikhwaned ulti-matelyto the assassination ttemptagainst 'Abd al-Nasiras he addresseda

mass Alexandriaaudienceon October 26, 1954. Althoughthe subsequentdestruction f the Ikhwanorganization nd the adherence f al-Azhar o theprinciples f the Revolutionhad the effectof relieving he RCCof immediatepoliticalpressure rom religiousgroups,the continuingquestionof Egypt'sbasicreligiousorientationwas potentiallydangerous noughto causethe RCCseriousconcern.The destruction f the Ikhwan,however,was the keywhichunlocked he door to generalreligiousreformandoffered he opportunity fbringingreligion underthe controlof the Revolution.But, thoughthe RCCwas devotedto bringingal-Azharand the religioushierarchy nderthe firmcontrolof the government,t did not forcethe issueof reformuntil two yearslater when it finallyfelt secure n posing the problemof the shari'ahcourtsystem.The secondstageof reformwas reachedwhenthe autonomousommunalsystemswereofficiallyabsorbednto the nationalsystemof secularly rientedcourts.In an atmospheref revulsion gainst heshaykhly ass, especially re-ated by thegovernment resswhen thepolicearrestedwoqsdiiswhowere giv-ing favorable udgmentsn return or favorsfrom theirwomen litigants,thegovernmentummarilynnouncedn September,955,the abolitionof all reli-gious courtsas of January , 1956. Despite the fact thatit was an attempt ocreatea unified egal system or themodernEgyptian tateandwas aimedpri-marilyat the autonomousharl'ah ystem, he Westernpress generallymissedthe importantconsequenceshis action had for the Muslim communitynEgyptbecause t overplayed he significance f the law for Egypt'sCopticcommunity."3The shaykhsmadeno defenseof thesharl'ah ystemon theoretical rounds,for justicehas traditionallybeen within the jurisdiction f the politicalau-thority.Publiclyheshaykhsmadeno defensewhatsoever.All Egyptian ailiesof September 6, 1955,carried ongratulatorytatementsrom varioushighlyrespectedhaykhswhosupportedhegovernment'srogram.OnSeptember8,themajorEgyptiandaily,al-Ahrsam,ccompanied pictureof Shaykh l-Azhar'Abdal-RahmanTaj showncongratulating resident Abdal-Nasir,with thisleadingshaykh'shanks o the Presidentor havingtakenthe "liberatingtep"of abolishinghecourts.Shaykhs eyond he reachof theRCC,however, aiseda publicoutcryoverthegovernment'smove andprotests ame n fromall partsof the Islamicworld,notably romSyriawherethe Ikhwanstill had a strongorganization.

13. See Nadav Safran,"The Shar'iCourtsin Egypt,"Muslim World 48 (1959) pp. 20-28;125-135;and JosephHajjar,Proche OrientChretien5, no. 4 (1955); 6, no. 1 (1956).


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36 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNALBehindthe headlines, he Egyptian haykhs omplained hat Azhargradu-ates, alreadyheavilydiscriminatedgainst n theirsearch or governmentobs,would find it impossible o competewith governmentrained awyers or posi-

tions in the combined ystembecause hey were unfamiliarwith the Westernbases of modernEgyptian aw. The job futureof Azharis,they said, wasbecomingdesperate.The governmentmade only a small concession o the'ulama'n guaranteeinghat no q4i presently mployedn the shari'ah ystemwould lose his job; he would be retrained o sit in the combined ystem. Tofurtherallay shaykhly ears, the RCC emphasizedhat sharl'ahaw had notbeen abolished; he sharl'ah ystemhad simplybeen "absorbed"nto the na-tional systemwhereshari'ah"principles" ould still be applied. Nevertheless,the governmentmade it clearthattherewould be far fewerjobsfor Azhariswho continued o concentrateolelyon traditionaltudies.With the crisis of diminishing ob futuresfor Azharisas a backdrop,hemilitaryeadersdecided o complete he absorption f the religioushierarchyinto the revolutionaryystemby bringing o an end the semi-independentosi-tionof al-Azhartself. TheRCChadbegun hiscampaign o subvert l-Azhar'sautonomy n the early days of the Revolutionby seeking out cooperativeshaykhso act as the channels or government olicyat al-Azhar,but its ownprecarious ositioncautioneda careful approach o this bastionof tradition.Althoughwe havelittle dataon the personaland institutionalonflictsbe-tweenthe men of the Revolutionand the 'ulama'of al-Azharbecauseof thepublicsupport he 'ulama'wereforcedto give to the Revolution,we get someindication f the intensity f thestrugglewaged n the halls of al-Azharbythespateof resignationsubmitted y highlyplaced ulama' sprotestsagainstgov-ernment"meddling"n religiousaffairs, he temporarilyuccessfulpassivere-sistanceof the shaykhs o reformor control (the government epresentativesfoundit impossibleo work with the shaykhs)whichdelayedreformfor sev-eral years,and the rapidsuccession f military eadersappointed o controlal-Azhar.Theattemptbysomeof thehighestranking evolutionaryeaders o subvertal-Azhar'sndependenceontinued oryearsandsharpened lready iolentper-sonalityconflictsat al-Azhar.Thoughthe marchof reformwas seriouslyde-layed by the resistance f the 'ulama', ts finaloutcomewas neverin doubt.Onlythe termsof the capitulation ad to be agreedupon. After the examplegiven to the men of religion by the severedestruction f the Ikhwanal-Muslimuin,hegovernmentwasalwaysableto counton the officialpublicsup-portof al-Azhar or its revolutionary rograms, ut the succession f militarymenappointed sDirectorof al-AzharAffairswasnonetheless nable o over-come the traditional uspicionsof the 'ulama' owardreform or governmentinterferencen theinternal ffairs f al-Azhar.

Kamal al-Din Rif'at (2/11/59-10/23/59), Ahmad 'Abdallah Ta'imah


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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTION 37(10/24/59 - 10/17/61), Ilusayn al-Shafi'i (10/18/61 - 10/23/62), threeleaders from the military establishment,and Dr. Muhammadal-Bahai(10/29/62 - 3/25/64) wereall unable o createa satisfactory orking elation-ship with the conservativehaykhsof al-Azhar.'4Lackinganyfoundationoroppositionto the Revolution, he 'ulama'temporarilyhwartedgovernmentprograms or al-Azharby simplyfailing to cooperatewith their appointeddirectors.Thesepersonality onflicts ed in extremecasesto furtherresigna-tions of highly placedshaykhswho preferred his path to the ignominyofpresidingover al-Azhar'send as an independentnstitution.This strategycould not changethe courseof events,however; t couldonly delayit. Thegovernment ook advantageof these resignationso appointWestern edu-cated Ph.D.'s of a more liberaloutlook to these important acantpositions.Althoughthe obstacles o reformwereslowlybeingremoved, hegovernmenthadto continue o movecautiously,or it knewfull well thatanyviolentattackagainstal-Azharwouldbe construed s an attackagainstreligion tself.The government oughtcooperation monga few progressivehaykhsatal-Azharwho desiredreformevenat the expenseof governmentnterference,for the tortuous ourseof reformatal-Azhar ad shown hatsignificanthangescouldonly be imposedupon al-Azharbygovernment ction.'5Notableamongtheseshaykhswas Dr. Muhammadl-Bahai,German ducated,who waslaterpromoted o the position of Ministerof Awqafand Directorof al-AzharAf-fairs. He is now professorof philosophyat CairoUniversity. Dr. al-Bahaiprepared heground or reformat al-Azhar y gathering bouthim a groupofadministratorsimilarlydevotedto reformand by presidingoverthe passageof certainfundamentalegislationthat laid the groundworkor the total re-organizationhatwasto engulfal-Azhar.Thehalfcentury f delayed eligiousreformdammedup behind al-Azhar inallyburstupon the institution n thesummer f 1961,sweepingawaythe deadpast butleavingthe foundations orthe erectionof a new al-Azhar.The totalreorganizationf this greatMusliminstitutiono whichthe government ad for so manyyearsbeen pointingwasannouncedn June,1961.

IIIThe atmosphere f greaturgencywhichsurroundedhe NationalAssemblymeetingon June22, 1961 was evokedby the fact that the Assemblyhad to14. These men could count only upon the cooperationof a handful of like-mindedshaykhseducated n Europeand Americawho now occupiedkey positions in the Azharsystem.15. The situation had by this time grown so desperatefor the Azharis that studentsandshaykhs themselves desired reform, though most feared the length to which the reorganizationwould go. The resignationof the Westerntrainedscholars o government ontrolwas summedupby Dr. MahmiidHubballah n this crucialperiod. "Yet, the state that controlsthe sinews of lifehas the right, when it wishes, to interfere n religion itself, which becomesdependenton the wishof the state." From "The Challengeof ModernIdeas and Social Values to Muslim Society," nIslamicLiterature11 (1959) p. 35.


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38 THE MIDDLEEAST JOURNALcomplete ts last orderof business, he reorganizationf al-Azhar,n this,thelast meetingof the parliamentaryession.Preliminary ocuments utliningareformhad supposedlybeenworkedout, for a government ommittee nd acommittee epresenting l-Azhar resentedheirrespective ersionsof a reformbill for consideration. t is obvious,however, romthe similarity f thesetwobills in theiroriginalform thatthe versionsupposedlyepresentingheviewsof al-Azharhad actuallybeenpreparedby the government ndhanded o theAzharcommittee t the last moment.'6This judgements substantiatedytheunpublishedminutesof this momentousmeetingwhichclearlyreveal hattheAzharisdid not knowwhatwas in theirversion.'7They asked oradjournmentin order o studytscontents.

The governmentepresentativesreated heshaykhs arshly,hiddenastheywere from publicscrutinybehind the closed doorsof parliament.They didnot debate the issueof reformwith the shaykhs;hey accused hem and de-manded hat the reformbe passed. As President f the Assembly,Anwaral-Sadatcontrolleddiscussionof the governmentproposals;rather,he guidedthe "explanation" f the reform. The shaykhswere also handicapped y alack of knowledgeconcerningparliamentaryrocedureand were constantlybeing silencedby al-Sadaton points of order. An excellentexampleof themilitary's ttitude oward he shaykhs ccurredwhenone venerable haykhdi-gressed romhislengthyspeech nto a hadithconcerningheProphet,whichheusedto supporthis point. No soonerwas the hadithout of his mouthwhenal-Sadat,mpatientwith the shaykh's erbosity,nsisted hatthiswas a hadithabout Umarand not theProphet.The shaykh'somposureeft him. He stam-mered, henretreated,aying hat,anyway,t was one of thoseunsurehadithswhichonlyAllahknows. Thentheshaykh atdown,totallyembarrassed.Despite the effortsof al-Sadat, he shaykhsshowed themselvesunhappyandopposedto the law, for theyknewit meantthe end of al-Azhar's uasi-independentxistence. In an effort, hen to impose he lawuponal-Azhar, hegovernment nlistedthe supportof some of its most importanteaders. Inaddition o the aforementionedl-Sadat,Kamalal-DinRiftlt andKamalal-Din Husayn,all from the originalRCC,andDr. al-Bahai, he spokesmanorthe governmentwithinal-Azhar,attacked tagnation n al-Azhar nd told theshaykhs n no uncertain erms hattheynow had to submit o reform.Oneofthismilitary riumvirateold theauthor,"Wegavereform o al-Azhar ecause

16. For a comparisonof these two bills, see the minutesof the Majlis al-Ummah or June22, 1961. The amended aw as it passedthe Assemblycan be found in its Arabicoriginal in thesame place. An Arabiccopy was published in Majallatal-Azhar (July, 1961), pp. 237-264. AFrenchtranslationcan be found in MIDEO 6 (1959-1961), pp. 473-484. An English translationcan be found in the United ArabRepublicpublicationArabPoliticalEncyclopedia:DocumentsandNotes, August,1961, pp. 65-83.17. These highly revealingunpublishedminutes of this meetingwere made availableto theauthorin Egypt. They were supportedby interviews with severalof the key participants t thismeeting. Most of the following accountof the meetingcomesfromthese minutesand interviews.


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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTION 39the shaykhsnever want it." The meetingdraggedon for sevenhours,until3:30 AM, before he shaykhs ubmitted.The government ndictment gainstal-Azharhad begunwith a statementof that institution's lorious past, duringwhich time it had "stoodas an im-pregnable trongholdagainstall attemptsat our slavery,domination ndthedestruction f our nationaland spiritual ntity."'"8Traditionally,l-Azhardidnot belong simply o Egypt,but to the entireIslamicworld. It had spread helight of religion and scienceover Asia and Africa and was still the goal ofMuslimmissionswhichcame to Egypt o studyIslamic ciences.Kamalal-DinHIusaynalled t the Ka'bah or all Islamic ountries.

However, he fact that al-Azhar as for long yearsbeen compelledo stand nthe face of all attempts t aggression as made t acquire sortof reservewhichis probably ne of the characteristicsf the defensive ttitude t has adopted llthrough hosecenturies.Whenlife revived roundt, and the causeshat ed upto its reservedndrigid attitude o longerexisted t failed to findpropermeansof renewed ctivityhatwould help it adapt tself to contemporaryimeswhileretainingts characteristicsndassumingts dutiesof defendingheReligionandpreservinghe heritage f Islim.19Anwar al-Sadatnsistedthatfromhis manytravels o other Islamic ands

and from his experiencewith the IslamicCongress, e knewthat thesenationswantedtheir sons to learn more than religionso they could be of use in theirhomelands. Kamal al-Din Rif'at substantiatedl-Azhar'smportance or theemergingnations, but declared hat Africans trainedat al-Azharcould notfind jobs when they returnedhomebecause hey had acquireduselessknowl-edge. But those studentstrainedat the secularEgyptianuniversitiesweremissing important eligioustrainings. The solutionwas to combine he twoprograms.Al-Azhar, eing,however, ngagedn the training f scholarsn religionandthe language f the Koran, s not asyetin a position o qualify eligious cholarswhoarespecializedn worksof experiencendproductionalled or by the prog-ressof Moslems n all countries.When certainMoslem tates ealized his regret-tablefactand diverted ll or partof theirmissions o civilianuniversitiesn theUAR and othercountries,heirenvoysupon graduation erefound to haveac-quiredexperiencewhilehardlyknowinganything boutreligion.On the otherhand, their envoysto al-Azhar eturnedwith a greatwealthof religiousandKoranic ciences, utmastered o workand wereneither apable f productionnorableto participaten anytypeof progresso whichwehavereferred.20

InEgyptand abroad,Azharishadbecome solated romsociety.18. Documentsand Notes, p. 79.19. Ibid.20. Ibid., p. 80.


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40 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNALA seriousunemploymentroblem ad also arisenamong hemwhichaggravatedtheir solationrom society:a crisiswhichhadprofound ffectson the mindsofthe Azharites nd the peopleat largeand did not fail to produce dverse ffecton the powerof the creed n the mindsof both.... Thisfeeling, f it spreads,slikely o severmanyof ourbondswith thosecountries.2Some shaykhsattempted to say that Azharis could not study tafsir and med-icine side by side, the work load being too great. When others boldly asserted

that the government was destroying the traditionalrole of al-Azhar as a placeto study language and the religious sciences, the government representativescountered by accusing al-Azharof deviationfrom its traditionalrole. The gov-ernment was now widening its r5ole y restoring al-Azhar to its traditionalplaceas a disseminatorof all sciences,not just the religious ones.The principles of the law were made to correct all these weaknesses. Theywere:

1) To maintain l-Azhar's ositionas thelargest ndoldestMuslimuniversitynEastor West.2) To maintain ts positionas the stronghold f religionand Arabism romwhichIslamwill be renewedn its truesubstanceo all levels and every o-calityn society.3) To graduatecholarswhohavea knowledge f religious cience,butalsoofpractical nowledge nd experienceso thatreligionwill no longerbe theironlycraftorprofession.'4) To destroy ll barriers etween l-Azhar nd otheruniversitieso thatAzhargraduatesmayenjoyequalopportunityn thespheres f knowledge ndwork.5) To givea common mount f knowledgendexperienceo all Azhariso theymay be intellectuallynd psychologicallyqualwith all other sons of theFatherland.6) To standardizechoolanduniversityertificatesn all UARuniversities ndschools.22The reformhadbeendeclaredn suchhaste thatforceswhichmighthaveopposed t were nevergiventime to makea defenseof al-Azhar.Immediatelyafter the announcementf thelaw,thepress evelleda withering ttackagainstthe stagnation ndcorruptionf the menof religion hemselvesn aneffort ojustify heirrevolutionaryrogramoral-Azhar.Theopeninggunin thecampaign gainst heshaykhswasfiredon June24,1961. Akhbhr l-Yawmon thatdaydeclaredn a blazingheadline,"Religionsnota profession." tsaccompanyingrticle tated hat:21. Ibid.22. Ibid., p. 81.


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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTION 41Therevolution,he banner f whichwas raised n al-AzharUniversity,s thefirstreal upheavalwhich has takenplace in that great nstitution or the past1000years.The youthwho will beenrolled n al-Azharwill not do so to adoptreligionas a professionince religion s not a trade! The feeling of increasingsolationwhichhas beensuffered y tens of thousands f al-Azhartudents ndgraduateswill come o an end. Moreover,he thousands f the youthwho comefromallpartsof Asiaand Africa o studyat the greatestslamic nstitution ill no longerreturn o theircountrieso liveon the dole or to become burden n their ellowcountrymen,ut will return susefulelementsn buildingup theirhomelands nmodernoundations part romacquiring deep nsight nto religion.On June 25, al-Ahroim an a long article on the importanceof the new lawfor al-Azharand three days later al-Jumhiriyahhad another long explanatory

article devoted to questions and answersconcerningthe new law. On June 29,al-Akhbiir ollowed with still another article devoted to the new law.Husayn al-Shafi'i,Vice President in charge of al-AzharAffairs, carriedthe

governmentpropaganda directlyto the shaykhs. In one of his monthly lecturesat al-Azhar,he cajoledthem with the following thought:Al-Azhar ecamesolated romsociety ndfrom ife. In oureffortnow to developal-Azhar,we arebutgiving expressiono ourdeterminationo reinstatet in itsplaceof honorandto strengthenhelink betweentspastandpresent.23These and similar views found their way even into al-Azhar circles. Dr.

al-Bahai,in a semi-appendixto a book he had finished, noted that al-Azhar hadlost contactwith the problemsand life of the people,24and that it had lost itsability to influence the educated classes.25Its separation from reality was al-ready apparent n the 19th centuryand now, "every day of continuing crisis les-sens its value."26The twin goals of the new law, now, according to al-Bahai,were the purificationof al-Azhar from the effects of imperialism,that is, tobringthe graduateback into the societyin which he lives, and the destructionofthe notion that his call is a profession.27

Explanationsof the law, of al-Azhar'sdeviation from its true path, of theneed to bridgethe social gap betweenmen of religion and the rest of the popu-lation, and the necessityof graduatingstudents with practicalskills continuedto occupy prime space in the nation's papers and journals. But the attacksagainst the 'ulama'also continued.

23. Minbaral-Islam,English edition (April, 1962) p. 17. This journalpublished by theSupremeCouncil for Islamic Affairs, a governmentsubsidizedorgan headed by a former armymajor,has taken from Majallatal-Azhar he role of spokesman or a modernor "purified" slam.24. al-Bahai,al-Fikral-Islamial-Iadith, Cairo, 1962, p. 488.25. Ibid., p. 491.26. Ibid., p. 494.27. Ibid., p. 496.


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42 THE MIDDLEEAST JOURNALMinbaral-Islkm,a newly createdgovernmentquarterly now a monthlybecauseof its great success)devotedto the "restoration"f Isla%m,ontainedthe followingwordsof PresidentAbdal-Nasir:Of course he shaykhdoes not thinkof anything xcept he turkey nd the foodwith whichhe filledhis belly. He is no more hana stoogeof reaction,eudalismand capitalism.At that imesomeshaykhsweretrying o deceiveus withfatwasof thisnature.From hebeginning,slamwas a religionof work. The Prophetused o work ikeeverybodylse. Islamwas nevera profession.28To make certainthe shaykhsgot the message, the first issue of the reform-

ist Minbar al-Islam devoted an article to reform. 'Usman Amin reviewedMuhammad 'Abduh's attempts to reform al-Azhar and levelled seriousaccusa-tions against the shaykhs.29

The leading 'ulama' quicklyfell in line and showed an amazing enthusiasmfor self-criticism,at least on the surface. Majoallat l-Azhar, the official Azharjournal, contained the following remarkable statements in its January, 1962issue.

Thegraduatesf al-Azharwereconsidered s only men of religion. As a resultof that,theyusedthereligionas a professionwithwhich heycan earn heir iv-ing. Moreover, heylived in complete oneliness ar away from theirsociety,because heir culturecouldnot meet the requirementsf the renaissancera,especiallyn both ieldsof workandproduction.30The newlawincludes solutionor everyproblem,t prepares n experienceorevery ield,it bringsup preachers ndguides o showhumanityhe straightwayof its life. . . . It wants Islam to be revived,ulamasto be of strong faith, livingfor the sake(my italics)andnotbymeans f it ... 31These are the words of MahmiidShaltilt, Shaykhal-Azhar through the early

period of revolutionary reform. Immediately following his article, anothercommentadmitted,The reorganizationf al-AzharUniversitywill prevent slamic uidance rombe-inga kindof profession... It will create ewkindsof knowledgewhichenablesone to workandearnhis livinginsteadof using Islamic uidance s a meansofgainingmoney.2

28. Minbaral-Islim,Englishedition, (November,1961), p. 13.29. Ibid., pp. 42-46.30. Majallatal-Azbar,Englishsupplement, . 17.31. Ibid., p. 18.32. Ibid., p. 21. It is also interestingto note that the presentMinisterof Awqaf and al-AzharAffairs,Ahmadal-Sharabissi,s often referredto as "the engineerSharabassi,"atherthanby some religious title.


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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTION 43The campaign against the shaykhshas not slackenedsince 1961. OnAugust24, 1962,al-Jumhiriyahan a headlinewhichread,"Thestatedoesnotsubmit o a specialgroup n the nameof religion."In an importantonfronta-

tion betweenthe men of religion and the regime,the men of the Revolutionrefusedto name Islam as the state religion n the National Charter, laimingthat certainelements were exploiting religion and impeding progress. OnFebruary 4, 1963,al-Ahrsaman a summary f how the reformwas going atal-Azhar.The Rectorof al-AzharUniversity not to be confusedwith Shaykhal-Azhar)declared, Inthepast therewas no '.lim knownas a manof religion.... Religion s not ... theturban nd theqaftan!"Onegroupwithinthe innerrulingcliquewants opush this campaigno thelimit,for a few officersbelieve the shaykhsare"useless, oo ignorant o carrythetorchof cultural evolution."33t is obviously he aim of thisgroupto dis-solvethe "class" f 'ulama'. It believes"therewill not be a class of 'ulama'nthe future. Therewill be doctors,engineersand lawyerswho are religious.The governments going to destroy he class of 'ulama'."34 his extremeviewis not heldby themajority f the rulingofficerswho recognize he importanceof the'ulama' s a direct inkbetween he governmentnd the illiterateor semi-literatemajority f Egyptians olidly groundedn their Islamic raditions ndbetweenEgyptand otherIslamic tates.This secondgroupbelieves he 'ulama'shouldbe the missionaries f socialism mong hepeople.As earlyas November,1962,the press began callingfor the retraining fIm.ms so theycould teachsocialism o the masses.35Husaynal-Shafi'i pokefor the majoritygovernment iew towardthe role of the shaykhs n societywhen he told them,I calluponyouto transformmosquesntocenters f radiation. t is notenoughthatmosqueshouldbe devotedoprayers nly. Themasses ave aunched cam-paign o reorganizeheirranks,o strengthenheir and.... Anyonewho standsin the face of justiceseeksoppression; nyonewho stands n the wayof self-sufficiencyf hiscountryimsatspreading overty; ndanyonewho tries o workfordissensionmonghepeopleopens hewayfor the return f political actions,reactionariesndopportunists, ho are all as dangerouss infidelity, ypocrisyandpolytheism.36

Thesewords oundan echo n the Azharofficial ournal."Thetaskof al-Azharin its new era,"it states,"is to inculcate he new revolutionaryhought andunderstandingn thepeople'sminds."37

33. Personal nterview.34. Ibid.35. Roseal-Yfisuf,November5, 1962, pp. 10-11.36. Minbairal-Ishlm,English edition, (November, 1961), p. 18.37. Majallatal-Azhar,English supplement, March,1962), p. 9.


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44 THE MIDDLEEAST JOURNALIt is apparent rom thegovernment'sctions incethe fatefulreorganizationof 1961, that the 'ulama'andal-Azharhave an importantdomesticand inter-nationalrole to play in the EgyptianRevolution. In the words of the present

Shaykhal-Azhar,HasanMa'Miin,al-Azharwill continue o act as a beaconcasting ts light into everycorner f the Islamicworld.38Al-Azharprovides he regimewith an importantnternationalnstrumentfor thestrengthening f Islamic ultural nd political ieswith thenewly emer-gent statesof Asia andAfrica. As such, it has takenup the struggleagainstimperialism,gnorance nd stagnation.Islamhas beenofferedas the religionof freedom,equality, ivilization nd progress.Domestically, he 'ulama'have the important ole of carryinghe Revolu-tion'sprogram f "IslamicSocialism"o thepeople.39Because he 'ulama'arenot as yet conversantwith the regime'swayof thinking,most of the theoristsof "IslamicSocialism"have been from outside the ranksof the shaykhsofal-Azhar.Nevertheless, s thegovernmentontinues o retrain he 'ulama' ndto wrap ts socialistprogramsn the mantleof Islam,the shaykhswill playanincreasinglymportant ole. Though they areunderfirmgovernment ontroland havesuffered seriousdimunition f influence, he regime indsthemuse-ful in carryinghe doctrines f theRevolutiono thepeople n anIslamicgarb.But they mustbe retrained.One of the formerrectorsof al-Azhar old theauthor,"Anyshaykh hat follows only the traditional ourseof religious n-struction tal-Azharwill simplynot find a jobupongraduation."

IVAfter four years, t is possibleto see what coursereformat al-Azharhastaken. Someaspectsof the reformhavenot as yet beengiven attention.Othershavereceived oomuch.The reformof al-Azhar s a complete eorganizationf the system. A newbalanceof powerhas been struckwithin the system n the formof a reducedrole for Shaykh l-Azhar ndgreaterauthority or government gencies. Newpersonnelof a highercalibrehavebeen broughtn to occupy mportantAzharpostsandthe typeof instruction ndsubjectmatter aught n the entireAzharsystemhas beeninjectedwith new vigor. The new law totally integrates hereligious ystemof educationwith thegovernmentystem.In a word,al-Azharhasbeen"nationalized."38. Minbhr l-Isl2m, Arabicedition, (August,1964), p. 19.39. See Minbdral-Ishlm for the most comprehensiveollectionof articlesrepresenting social-ist ideology in EgyptianIslamicthought. President Abd al-Nasirrepresented he character f thisthought when he told the Yemenis on an importantvisit, "Islamis based on three principles:socialism as the basis of social justiceand equality;popularrule; and unity."The Arab Observer(May 4, 1964) p. 12.


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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTION 45Article8 of Law 103 dividesal-Azharnto the followingdepartments:40

SupremeCouncilMuslimResearch cademyMuslimCulture ndMissionsDepartmental-AzharUniversityal-Azhar nstitutes

The Supreme Council is charged with the general direction of al-Azhar'sentire system, including fiscal matters. (Art. 10) It is composed of the Rectorof al-Azhar (President); the Vice-Rector; the Director of al-Azhar University;Deans of the faculties of al-Azhar University; four members of the MuslimResearch Academy; an Under-Secretaryor Assistant Under-Secretaryof Statefrom each of the ministries of Awqaf, Education,Justiceand the Treasury;theDirector of Muslim Culture and Missions; the Director of al-AzharInstitutes;and three members at most from among experts in universityeducation andpublic affairs. (Art. 9)

Obviously, governmentappointed "outsiders"hold the balanceof power onthe committee. Although Shaykhal-Azhar presides as chairman,his role in thegeneral affairs of the whole system has been reduced to an honoraryone. Hecannot meddle in the affairs of the autonomousdepartmentsand is controlledwithin this SupremeCouncil by the government appointedmemberswho keepa watchful eye on him. He retains some few privileges,must be "consulted"onsome appointments, commands a high salary of ?2000 yearly, and continuesto receive recognition as the Grand Imam, but his actual influence within theAzhar systemis now no greaterthan that exerted by a reigning king or queenin the British parliamentary ystem.4"What influence he does exert is derivedfrom his personal reputationas a pious leader or "knower"of IslIm.42

Within the guidelines set by the Supreme Council the individual depart-ments have significant autonomy. The Muslim ResearchCouncilis the supreme odyof Islamic esearch;t undertakeshe studyof all mattersrelated o such research, nd works owards he renewalof Moslemculture, tsliberationromintrusion, estigesand tracesof politicaland ideological anati-cism, ts demonstrationn its pureandoriginal ubstance,romoting nowledgeof it at every evel and in every ocality,heexpressionf opinionon new ideo-40. DocumentsandNotes, p. 66.41. "The Rectorof al-Azhar is the Grand Imam with the final say in all mattersrelatedto religious affairs,scholarson the Koranand the science of Islam. He is the supremeguide inall questionsconnectedwith Moslem studies in al-Azharand its institutions . ." (Art. 9).42. The position of Shaykhal-Azhar s much stronger nternationallyhan domestically.TheYoung Officerssupportthe international ravel of this leading shaykh, who has been called bysome the "world Muslim leader,"for the prestigehis dignitybrings Egypt. In his own right, forinstance,Shaykhal-Azharannuallyanswershundredsof questionsconcerningreligious law sent tohim from everycornerof the Islamicworld.


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46 THE MIDDLEEAST JOURNALlogicalor socialproblems ffectinghe creed,and assuminghe responsibilitiesfthecallforthe sakeof the Religionwithwisdom ndgoodcounsel. (Art.15)The membershipof the council numbers 50, representingall Muslimschoolsof thought. Not morethan 20 shall be citizensof theUAR. (Art. 16)This attempt o makeal-Azhar n internationalorce for the "purification"fIslamhas been half-heartedo date andthe workof the Councilhas beende-layed. Its first congress,not held until March,1964, attracted100 delegatesfrom 42 countries, ut little of importance as accomplished.The shaykhsis-tenedto the presentation f variouspapersand hearda seriesof Egyptiandig-nitariesdiscuss heneed for a reinterpretationf Islam'sattitude owardmod-ern problems,butnothingconcretehas yet comefrom the Academy.43t has

not as yetexertedany significantnfluencen the Islamicworldbecause ts func-tions overlapwith otherAzhardepartments,t has not been enthusiasticallyreceivedby Muslimgroupsin other countries,and has, of course,becomeapolitical ssue betweenAraband Muslimgovernments."At present t is onlyrepresented ya directorwith an office n the old administrationuilding,buta moderncentral ibrary s planned or the Academy.The main reason,how-ever,for its inactivitys thatthe Young Officers ave not wished o develop hisdepartmentt thispoint. They preferto continue o support heirownhighlysuccessful ndautonomous upremeCouncil or IslamicAffairs.Nevertheless,the possibilityof the Academy pringing o life at somepoint in the futureshouldnotbe overlooked.TheMuslimCulture ndMissionsDepartment

shallbeconcerned ith all matterselatingo publication,ranslationndMoslemrelationswithregardo missions, reachers,ndreceptionf scholarshiptudentsandotherpersons oncerned ithin hescopeof al-Azharbjectives. Art.25)As it is now functioning,he missionsarmof thedepartments themost active.Unfortunately,heautonomy f the fivedepartmentss so greatthattheyoftenworkat crosspurposes ather hantowardsa common oal.This departments responsible dministrativelyor the 4000 Muslimmis-sions studyingat al-Azhar,but it has kept themseparate romEgyptian tu-dentsat the university ntil theyarecompetent noughto competewith theirEgyptian ounterpartsn Arabic.The foreignstudents ive in their own area

43. For a resume of the Academy'smeeting,see The Arab Observer (March 16, 1964), pp.8-9. 44. This department,or instance,sharesthe dutywith the Muslim Culture and Missions De-partmentand al-AzharUniversityfor the "preservation,tudy, interpretation nd dissemination fthe Moslem heritage." All threemust fulfill "the messageof Islim to the people"and take uponthemselves "the task of clearing up the truth about Islam and its effect on humanprogress . ."(Art. 69).


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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTION 47far from al-Azhar, nownas the foreignstudent ityormissions' ity (Madinatal-BuRth), attend separateclasses, and have their own interestsand recrea-tions.45 Yet, when the foreign studenthas masteredArabic, o transfer romthe MissionsDepartment o al-AzharUniversity s as difficult,becauseofbureaucraticnefficienciesndthe separate utonomy f the two departments,stransferringromoneuniversity o another.The MissionsDepartments also active n sendingAzharteachers broad,butonceagain,the sharingof responsibility ith the Ministryof Awqaf andthe Ministryof Educationmakes it almost impossible or the Azharisthem-selvesto understandust what theiractualr6oles. By far the greatestmajorityof Azharis entabroad rehandledby the Ministry f Education.46The departmentf al-Azhar nstitutes dministers ll primary nd second-ary religious raining.47Of greatest mportances the equalization f religioustrainingn theseAzhar nstituteswiththe training iven in the government ys-tem. Students rom these institutesmaynow receivecertificatesn industrial,commercial, griculturalnd otherstudies o thattheymaybe acceptednto theregularschool systemupon graduation rom the primary r secondaryevels.For the time being,however, heflowis in the oppositedirection.Governmentschool studentshave floodedthe new facultiesof al-AzharUniversity, lmostdrivingoutthe Azharis.The reformhasentirely eorganizedl-AzharUniversity,which is now oneof the fivedepartmentsn the Azhar ystem.Likeeverydepartment,he univer-sityhas its own administration hichoperates ndependently ithinthe overallsystem. A Rector of al-AzharUniversity (not to be confusedwith Shaykhal-Azhar) presidesover the UniversityCouncilcomposedof the sub-rector,deansof thevarious aculties,a delegate romtheMinistry f Education,hreemembers f theMuslimResearchAcademy nd threememberswith experiencein universityducation r publicaffairs.Since he rectorand the sub-rector reappointedby the President f the Republicandthe othermembers y variousgovernment gencies, he administrationf the university as been taken outof the handsof the traditionalAzharis. The past rector, or instance, rans-ferred romCairoUniversity nd all thedeansnowhold WesternPh. D.'s.The traditionalacultieshavebeenregrouped nder heFacultyor Islamic

45. The foreign students also find it difficultto mix sociallywith the Egyptians.New resi-dential buildingsfor Egyptianstudentsare now, however,being plannedfor Madinatal-Bu'ith.46. Of the 3,504 UAR teacherssent abroad n the academicyear 1961-1962,only 756 weredelegatedfrom al-Azhar. Of these 756, only a very small numberwere financedby al-Azhar tself.SeeUAR, 10 Years of Progress, 1962,Table 1. Figureson Azharisabroadaretaken romthe recordsof Shaykhal-Azhar.47. Article 83 makes possible the creation of more institutes,foreign as well as domestic.Many Muslim countriespoor in educationalfacilities have alreadyrequestedaid from al-Azharin setting up religious schools.


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48 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNALStudiesand the Faculty or Arab Studies,but they continue o operatesepa-ratelyas individual acultiesand will eventuallybe moved to MadinatNasr.Whatwill be done with the old quadrangles as not yet been decided.48Therest of the curriculum as been revolutionizedo include four new areasofstudy, fields hardlycompatiblewith the traditional nterestsof the religiousscholar. With the creationof the new facultiesof BusinessAdministration,Engineering nd Crafts,Agriculture nd Medicine,al-Azharhas becomethefifthEgyptian tateuniversity.All sectionsof the reformedAzharwill be movedshortly o MadinatNasr(near Heliopolis) though the experimental entersof the Facultyof Agricul-ture,for instance,will be locatedelsewhere. Almost without exception, henew facultieshave acceptedall theirstudents rom the overcrowded overn-mentuniversities.The entirefaculty or these new departmentss also drawnfromthe secular ystem.The professors, tudentsand trainingcannotbe anymore alien to the traditionalAzharthan the fact that instructionwithin thefacultiesof MedicineandEngineerings givenin English.The announcedoalof thereform, o allowthe Azharis o receive he sametrainingas their secular ounterparts, ill thusbe severalyears n coming, orthe Azharisarenot yet used to the new sciencesand are incapableof doinguniversitywork n thenew faculties n Arabic,much essin English.The religiousscienceshavegenerallybeen left untouched o as not to stirup unduetrouble. Nevertheless, slamas taughtat al-Azhars becoming n-creasingly"socialistic"s it is impregnatedwith the ideas of Arabsocialism.49Consideringhe regime'sdesireto makethe religiousscholara "productive"citizenand the trendtowardenlightened ecularism, ne can expectthe reli-gious faculties n the futureto lose much mportancend suffera serious ossof students, speciallyunder heimpactof thereformed rimary ndsecondaryeducationn the ruralareas. It will be severalyearsbeforevillage boys (andgirls) cometo al-Azhar or anythingbut religioustraining,but the daywillsoon arrivewhen al-Azharwill have the characteristicsf any Jesuitor Wes-leyan universitywheretheology s butone faculty n the totaluniversity.Theweight of the modernfuture is pressingheavilyon the traditional eligiousscholar,butit will be his perceived elf-interestn seekingsatisfactory mploy-

48. One innovationis the creationof a new departmentor Islamic and Arabic Studies atthe Faculty of Shari'ah. Lectureswill be given on theology,rhetoricand otherIslamic sciencesatthe mosqueof al-Azhar.Anyone mayattend,but it is primarily or holdersof the secondary ertifi-cate and foreign studentswho are capableof following the courses. At the end of a four yearcourse, a degree which gives the same rights as any Azhar degree will be awarded. See TheEgyptianGazette, (March 7, 1965).49. One of the moreimportant esolutionsof the IslamicResearchCouncilconference f 1964opened the door to Egyptian tyle "ArabIslamic Socialism.""Thegovernment f a countryhas theright to restrict the freedom to ownershipto the extent necessary or preventing corruptionandrealizing the interestsof the country."The EgyptianGazette, (April 6, 1964).


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AL-AZHAR IN THE REVOLUTION 49ment thatwill finallydrivehimtoward henewfacultiesat al-Azhar.The tur-banedshaykhwill give way to the broadly rainedreligious scholarsuchasthosewhoalready ccupy hekey posts as deansandrectorsn thenew system.It is from the ranks of these modern trainedshaykhs hat any meaningful"trestoration"f Islam will come, if indeedit will come fromshaykhly anksat all.

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