Friday sermons delivered at mosques across the Middle East throughout 2017 have reflected the political dimensions of domestic transformations and intra-regional interactions. These include defending the nation-state institutions, rebel militias seizing power in Yemen, threats posed by rising Shiite militias in Iraq, unleashing political disagreement in fragile states, fueling popular protests in surrounding regions, protecting places of worship from terrorist threats, combating rampant corruption across social and political structures, and warning against threatening the identity of Jerusalem, as well as addressing questions about sovereignty of states on geographical regions.
Generally speaking, determinants of interactions in the Middle East in the past year were reflected by Sunni Muslim and Shia Friday sermons in Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran.
Survival Politics
1- Defending nation-state institutions. Across Egypt, standard, and not improvised Friday sermons were given at all mosques in urban and rural areas. The rhetoric adopted by the Ministry of Awqaf (religious endowments) reflects the approach pursued by the presidency that the first term of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (2014-2018) is focused on preventing the state from falling into the hands of extremist movements and terrorist organizations. This was the future that Egypt was about to suffer with the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood.
War between Pulpits
2- Domination of Militias. The rebel Houthi group seized control of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and other northern governorates in September 2014. Since then, the militia has been replacing Friday preachers licensed by the Ministry of Awqaf with loyal preachers known for sectarian bigotry. This perhaps explains the clashes between the Houthis and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh over control of al-Saleh Mosque, the biggest in Sanaa on the eve of Prophet Mohammed’s birthday on November 30. The clashes marked the beginning of the end of the alliance between rebels.
On May 19, 2017, the preacher of al-Saleh Mosque criticized the Houthis of looting public funds, treating others unjustly, assaulting public institutions, disrespecting their political partnership with forces loyal to Saleh. Houthi preacher at Houra Mosque in Hajjah Governorate, Abdullah al-Naami, launched a severe attack on the former president, accusing him of not fighting and doing nothing except hiding while only the Houthis fight on all fronts. Al-Naami escalated his attack describing Saleh and his inner circle of being braggarts, hypocrites and cowards.
Houthi employees at the Ministry Endowments and Guidance, on December 22, 2017 issued instructed imams to mobilize worshipers for fighting and donating food and money. This prompted Yemeni clerics to issue a statement on December 24 calling upon tribes, politicians, business people, trade unions, organizations and all citizens to stand united against the Iranian expansion and threats posed by the Houthis undermining national resources and killing its qualified citizens.
Militarizing Sectarianism
3- Threats of Shia Militias’ Rising Influence. In Iraq, efforts were made to integrate the factions of so-called Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) into the country’s security forces. Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Ali al-Sistani, in a message delivered at a December 15, 2017 Friday sermon, by his official representative Mahdi al-Karbalai, called for integrating young fighters who participated in the war against ISIS into the official Iraqi Security Forces and for arms to be handed over to and used only by the state.
Al-Sistani said that defeating ISIS is not the end of the fight with terrorists, and that there are still sleeper cells in some pockets. He added that the security system is still in dire need for a large number of what he called heros who backed the federal army and police forces throughout the past years, stressing that only the state can legally take arms according to the Iraqi Constitution.
But Iran, who was concerned its militias would be disarmed, sought to undermine al-Sistani’s call. On December 18, Tasnim news agency, said that the Hashd al-Shaabi is an official and legal institution that can continue its activity within a government framework. The agency went on to say that such calls by Iraq’s top religious authority and political forces for handing over arms to the state and joining its military police and military forces were meant for those armed groups that are not part of the “holy” Hashd al-Shaabi but act as completely independent and illegal militias.
Putting out Fires
4- There are efforts countering attempts to cause political disagreement and ignite armed conflicts. In a August 25, 2017 Friday sermon, Imam and Orator of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saleh Al Taleb implicitly condemned actions by some Arab countries (Qatar), regional powers (Iran) and regimes (Bashar Assad in Syria). He said that anyone who creates rifts and sows the seeds of discord among Muslims has no faith in the grace of harmony and uses “fire” from “Jahiliyyah” (pre-Islamic period), is ungrateful and disloyal to his people and deceives his nation. He noted that the pilgrimage should not be used as a field for disagreement or settling scores, and that worship seasons should not be used for political purposes to cause confusion and disorder that leads to discord and strife.
Flash-points
5- Fueling Popular Protests in Arab Peripheral Areas. This was the case in the Rif region in Morocco, where high-profile figures including lawyers, media people and intellectuals issued a statement in May 2017 calling for measures to build confidence between the government and protesters by the use of known patriots as mediators. They called upon both parties to be proactive and take steps that would contribute towards launching dialogue about social demands made by protesters since day one.
The initiative was made after security authorities arrested well-known activist Naser Zefzafi, who is deemed the leader of the so-called al-Hirak al-Shabi (Popular Movement) launched in the Rif in October 2016, after he and loyalists broke in and interrupted a Friday prayer and sermon at a mosque in the city al-Hoceima.
Protecting Places of Worship from Terrorist Threats
6- Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Endowments decided to standardize Friday sermons and asked preachers to stick to the letter, or at least to the essence of pre-written Friday sermons. The move aims to protect places of worship after they became targets for terrorist organizations and extremist groups. Recently in November and December 2017, the Bir al-Abed Mosque in Sinai and Mar Mina Church in Helwan were attacked.
Entrenching Integrity
7- Combating Rampant Social and Political Corruption. Iraq, for instance, is among states ranking very low in Transparency International’s indices of corruption. Friday sermons given on December 15 across Iraqi provinces were focused on combating corruption and preventing it from spreading in the name of religion, sect or race, according to by Shaikh Amer al-Bayati, a spokesperson for the Iftaa' Department.
Jerusalem’s Identity
8- Warning against threatening the Identity of Jerusalem. The Palestinian issue has a strong presence in Friday sermons across the region. It became even stronger after US President Donald Trump announced the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
In Egypt, the Ministry of Religious Endowments dedicated sermons on December 8, 2017 to the cause of Jerusalem and the danger of threatening its identity. In Lebanon, the General Directorate of Religious Endowments, instructed by Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, the Grand Mufti, instructed all mosque orators to dedicate the December 8 ceremony to talk about the cause of Jerusalem and condemn the US recognition of the city as Israel’s capital.
In Palestine on the same day, Mahmoud al-Habbash, President Mahmoud Abbas's Advisor on Religious and Islamic Affairs, delivered the Friday sermon in Ramallah, in which he said Trump’s decision on Jerusalem is completely worthless and that no American or non-American president can take control of the identity of Jerusalem.
Halayeb and Shalateen Region
9- Sermons are used to address questions about states' sovereignty on geographical regions. In a bid by Egypt to assert its sovereignty on the disputed Halayeb Triangle in light of Sudan’s positions. Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour, in October 2017, called for a solution to this issue through dialogue or international arbitration. Cairo responded by emphasizing that the region is Egyptian, and on December 29 in Halayeb, Minister of Religious Endowments, Mohammad Mukhtar Jumaa, delivered a Friday sermon that was in line with Cairo’s message to Khartoum. At the same time, Egypt launched TV and radio broadcast to this region.
Reflective Mirror
Friday sermons served as a mirror reflecting developments that occurred in 2017 and highlighted significant political topics and issues to promote support for, or opposition to certain issues or actors, including state and sub-state actors. Because Friday sermons contribute towards collective consciousness of Muslims, they are used to influence public opinion, but still need to be studied more deeply to arrive at more accurate conclusions.
