Former mufti leads campaign to support constitution

Former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa started a campaign on Monday urging Egyptians to vote “yes” in the upcoming referendum on Egypt’s draft constitution, scheduled to take place on January 14 and 15.

Speaking at a public gathering in Cairo to launch the “Egypt is my country” campaign, Gomaa urged Egyptians in a heated speech to “mobilize in support of a constitution that will amaze the world and frighten the hearts of the terrorists,” referring to supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood group.

“Go out yourselves, with your wives and your children, to the ballot boxes. Every owner of a factory, every owner of a farm should mobilize their workers. Everyone who goes with their families, know you are supported by God because you are against corruption, atheism, hypocrisy, division and immorality,” he said.

Deposed President Hosni Mubarak appointed Gomaa. He left office last year at the end of his term.

Gomaa said that there are four aims for the campaign. The first is to mobilize a large turnout in the upcoming referendum, and the second is to encourage a “yes” vote on the draft constitution, “to show those who have a blind hatred who Egyptians are,” he added.

The third goal is to encourage Egyptians to support one person in the presidential race, “someone who can lead the country and the people to the shores of safety,” he said, amidst chants from those in attendance in support of Military Commander Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Finally, he added, “Our fourth goal is to elect a parliament that represents the people not itself.

“This is the good four, the four to counter this miserable other four,” he said, referring to the Rabea sign of four fingers raised by Muslim Brotherhood followers to commemorate the deaths of hundreds of their supporters in the bloody sit-in dispersals of August 14.

“Repeat it three times after me: Allahu Akbar [God is the greatest]. Long live Egypt,” he concluded.