The Egyptian Imams and Preachers Syndicate on Wednesday warned the Muslim Brotherhood against the exploitation of mosques in their election campaign for Khairat al-Shater. The syndicate demanded that imams affiliated with the Brotherhood keep their affiliations separate from their mosque activities.

Sheikh Abdel Ghani al-Hindi, the official spokesman of the Imams and Preachers Syndicate, said, “It is unacceptable for any imam to exploit places of worship.” He went on to say that the repetition of that which happened during the parliamentary elections would shake the image of imams in Muslims eyes.

He warned that the syndicate would take action if any imams or preachers appointed by the Ministry of Awqaf exploited mosques to garner support for a specific presidential candidate.

He pointed out that the role of imams and preachers was to direct the public from a patriotic standpoint, devoid of any affiliations, as the state in Islam is bigger than any faction or current.

He added that the parliamentary elections differed from the presidential election and that such actions by imams could lead to chaos and conflict.

Hindi said that the Brotherhood’s imams promoting certain candidates could lead to clashes between supporters of Islamist candidates and that they should unite the ranks in order to protect the country’s best interests.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm