Egypt’s top Muslim cleric, whose moderate views angered hard-liners, dies of heart attack
By APWednesday, March 10, 2010
Egypt’s top Muslim cleric dies of heart attack
CAIRO — Egypt’s state-owned news agency says the country’s top Muslim cleric has died of a heart attack during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Sheik Mohammed Sayed Tantawi was 81 years old. He was the grand sheik of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s pre-eminent theological institute. His moderate views rankled hard-liners.
Most recently, he infuriated conservatives late last year by barring women from wearing the full face veil known as the niqab at Al-Azhar University. That step was part of the intensifying struggle between the moderate Islam championed by the state and a populace that is turning to a stricter version of the faith.
The Middle East News Agency said he died Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, where he had attended a religious ceremony.
Tags: Africa, Cairo, Egypt, Middle East, North Africa, Obituaries, Religious Strife, Saudi Arabia
