Shura Council Not To Pass Sukuk Bill Without Al-Azhar’s Approval: Al Nour Party

Egypt’s Shura Council (upper house of parliament) will not vote on the sukuk bill before it is approved by Al-Azhar’s Senior Scholars Council headed by Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, President of Al-Azhar University, said Sayed Aref, member of the Shura Council and Al Nour Party.

Shuar Council approved Al Nour Party’s suggestion concerning the necessity of taking the Senior Scholars Council’s approval over the bill.

Abdallah Badran, head of the parliamentary bloc of Al Nour Party, and Essam El-Erian, head of the parliamentary bloc of Freedom and Justice Party, had a debate over the matter. Badran insisted that the Senior Scholars Council shall approve the bill as per the constitution which stipulates that all matters related to Islam shall be endorsed by Al-Azhar, while El-Erian stressed that the Supreme Constitutional Court is the one which has the right to supervise laws and there shall be no religious authority over the state’s institutions.

Sayed Aref said the Shura Council approved 22 articles out of 33 of the sukuk bill and expected that the rest of the articles will be discussed today.