Contemporary History of Islam and the Arts in Egypt

AHRAM ONLINE
By Wael Eskandar with contributions by Menna Taher and Ati Metwaly

EGYPT - During the Mubarak era Egyptian courts were flooded with 'Hesba' lawsuits targeting writers, film makers and poets. Hesba lawsuits can be filed by anyone if they believe God has been insulted. The first case after the 25 January Revolution was filed on 12 April 2011 against the book “Where is Allah” by Karam Saber, released in November 2010. The book was sent to the committee of senior scholars at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif for content assessment. Hesba lawsuits have continued after the revolution and there is reason to believe examining art work through an Islamic moral lens could be formalised. In a recent interview on Al-Qahira Al-Youm, El-Shahat said, “It’s not your right” to decide if a work of art is halal or haram (right or wrong), and implied all art should be screened by senior Al-Azhar scholars, which would mean stricter censorship laws. This is not just a battle for artists, but for everyone in society. Although artists will be affected most by policies that promote censorship and hinder creativity, there is hope that people will move to challenge some of these ideas. [link]