Egypt's mosque minders: The rise of surveillance cameras in places of worship
Since the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments has been trying to quell the spread of extremism in mosques, but critics warn these steps could threaten basic rights.
CAIRO — Egypt is adding mosque surveillance, private security and book bans to its efforts to control extremism and support moderate religious thought.
On Aug. 13, Minister of Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Jumaa decided to install surveillance cameras in mosques across the republic to protect them from terrorism and bombing attempts and to monitor the preaching of extremist ideas. The ministry began distributing surveillance cameras to the mosques in three stages, starting with the major mosques, followed by the main mosques that hold Friday prayers in provinces and then the mosques that are most frequented.
In this context, Sheikh Mohammed Abdel-Razeq, head of the ministry's religious department, said Aug. 13 in remarks to Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, “The surveillance cameras will be installed outside and at the forefront of mosques in a bid to monitor terrorist and bombing operations. There will also be surveillance cameras inside mosques and corridors to monitor the work of imams and workers and the spread of ideas, religious lessons and Friday sermons. The cameras will also help control the mosque’s level of commitment to the ministry’s statements.”
Al-Monitor tried to contact Abdel-Razeq, but at deadline, he had not responded.
