Egypt prepares for Eid as pilgrims converge on Saudi Arabia

As pilgrims converge on Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior has announced that it is on high alert ahead of the Eid al-Adha holidays to secure citizens and vital institutions. The Eid starts Tuesday and ends Friday. 

In recent years the holiday has been marred by rampant sexual harassment on the crowded streets in Egypt, particularly in the capital, while recent political violence means that some fear renewed clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed President Mohamed Morsi if marches take place or prayers turn political.

A number of anti-sexual harassment initiatives have been formed and announced that they will be present in main squares, on the lookout for any perpetrators. Police and emergency services are on alert and police presence will be intensified around the country, the Interior Ministry said. 

The pro-Morsi National Alliance to Support Legitimacy has called on supporters to protest on Tuesday after Eid prayers, which will take place just past 6 am, in front of major mosques in Cairo and Giza, and to organize stands and form human chains in other governorates, Al-Ahram portal reported. 

A source speaking to Al-Ahram pinpointed Rabea al-Adaweya, Nahda Square, Gameat al-Dowal Street, Sudan Street, Qubba Palace and Tahrir Square as possible destinations for the marches. 

On Monday security forces dispersed a gathering of Morsi supporters who formed a human chain and protested on the Alexandria Corniche. Three were arrested in Alexandria.

The Endowments Ministry is permitting 86 spaces to hold the Eid prayers, which draw thousands in neighborhoods around the country, of which 47 are in Cairo, according to a statement released Monday.

Rabea al-Adaweya, Tahrir and Fath Mosques will not be open for prayers. Rabea saw violence when a sit-in of Morsi supporters that had lasted for more than a month was forcibly dispersed on August 14 by security forces, leaving hundreds dead. The Fath Mosque in Ramses saw clashes a couple of days after the dispersal. And most recently, on the anniversary of the October 6 War, clashes broke out when Morsi supporters marched from key points around the city and were stopped from approaching Tahrir Square.

Prayer locations in Cairo include Al-Azhar, Al-Hussein, Sayeda Nafeesa, Sayeda Zeinab, Sultan Abo al-Ela, Al-Rifai, Sayeda Aisha, Al-Nour in Abasseya, Imam al-Shafei, Omar Ibn al-Assar, and Al-Rahman Al-Raheem mosques. In Giza, Mostafa Mahmoud and Al-Hossari mosques will be open.

The Ministry of Endowments recently announced that it is succeeding in controlling religious discourse. Minister Mohamed Mokhtar has said the ministry will “set a framework for Friday sermons” based on “morality and peaceful coexistence” to be distributed to imams. The ministry also recently revoked the licenses of some 55,000 imams, banned Friday sermons in small mosques, and restricted the duration of sermons to 20 minutes.

Mosques are often gathering points for political movements, and have been effectively utilized by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups for political organization and messaging. Mokhtar said that the ministry’s job is to separate mosques from politics. It is also attempting to register all of Egypt’s mosques and coordinate with Al-Azhar to oversee imams and Friday sermons, to “mend the rift in society.”

Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Mohamed Abo Shady said his ministry will intensify monitoring and inspection of the more than 3,500 gold shops nationwide during Eid to make sure all products are properly stamped, MENA reported. Inspectors’ days off were canceled so they could be present in the market during the high-selling holiday. The same goes for petrol stations and butcher shops.

Egypt also closed the Rafah border crossing for Eid on Monday and is set to reopen the main passageway to the besieged Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, MENA reported. Al-Ouja crossing was also closed to trading activities and is scheduled to open next Sunday.

Meanwhile, as Muslims around the world prepared to celebrate the Eid, around 2 million pilgrims made their way to Mount Arafat early on Monday, the most vital part of the Muslim pilgrimage, MENA reported.

As of Friday 12 Egyptians had died during the hajj, the state news agency added, amid sweltering heat and the crush of the crowds, a combination which mainly tends to affect elderly pilgrims, especially if they already unwell.

There were at least 20 cases of hospitalization due to heart problems or high blood pressure while the rituals of the pilgrimage were being carried out.

Saudi authorities announced at noon on Sunday that all the pilgrims had reached Mina from nearby Mecca, following in the footsteps of the Prophet Mohamed some 14 centuries ago, AFP said, adding that top Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh urged Muslims to avoid divisions, chaos and sectarianism on the holiday.

Pilgrim numbers are sharply down from last year, due to fears linked to the MERS virus and to multi-billion-dollar expansion work at the Grand Mosque to almost double its capacity to around 2.2 million worshippers, the French news wire added. Saudi health authorities have stressed that no cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus have been detected so far this pilgrimage. The disease has killed 60 people worldwide, 51 of them in Saudi Arabia.