Salafi Dawah urges Islamists to halt protests, return to mosques

In a conciliatory statement, the Salafi Dawah called on Islamists to stop protesting and return to religious work, the state-run Al-Ahram website reported Thursday.

The statement comes on the heels of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's fall from power after popular protests prompted the military to drive him out of office.

The Salafi Dawah asked its followers to be patient, accept the political changes now underway and return to the mosques.

 “We apologize for the actions of some of us [Islamists], as they may have misbehaved; but we believe it was all in good faith,” read the statement.

The statement claimed that calls for violence in the name of god fueled the ousting of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, and the suspension of a constitution that they had worked hard on for the triumph of Sharia.

“Despite the great pain inflicted by the latest occurrence, we feel compelled to accept it as it saves the country from a potential civil war and the bloodshed that would also cause the economy to crash,” read the statement.

Breaking with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Nour Party — the political arm of the Salafi Dawah — has been part of talks with the military over the roadmap for the transition period. Nour Party leader Younis Makhyoun was at the meeting between members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and political leaders when Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Morsi’s ouster.

The official website of the Construction and Development Party, Jama’a al-Islamiya’s political branch, stated that popular Salafi preacher Hazem Salah Abu Ismail and a number of his followers would join the Rabea al-Adaweya Mosque sit-in where pro-Morsi supporters have been congregating.