Mohammad Salim Al-Awa (born December 22, 1942) is an Egyptian Islamist thinker, widely considered[by whom?] to belong to the moderate Islamic democratic strain. He is the former Secretary General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars based in London, and head of the Egyptian Association for Culture and Dialogue.[1][2][3] Al-Awa has been called[by whom?] one of the few Islamic thinkers who has made a "serious attempt" at "defining what Islamism would mean in a modern society," or "courageously delved into the realities of Islamic history and experimented with new interpretations."[4]

Mohammad Salim Al-Awa
Born22 December 1942[citation needed]
NationalityEgyptian
Occupationwriter

His allegations that the Coptic Orthodox Church was storing weapons in churches and monasteries worsened anti-Christian sentiment in Egypt, contributing to the 2011 Alexandria bombing which killed 23 people and injured another 97.[5][6][7]

On 14 June 2011, Al-Awa declared his candidacy for the 2012 Egyptian presidential election in September of that year.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Saba Net - Yemen news agency". sabanews.net. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  2. ^ "The power of words". Al-Ahram Weekly. September 27, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  3. ^ Beals, Greg. "The Root: US Debates About Islam Resonate Overseas". NPR. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  4. ^ Egypt on the Brink by Tarek Osman, Yale University Press, 2010, p.107-8, 214
  5. ^ "الأخبار – عربي – محامون مصريون يتضامنون مع العوا". Al Jazeera. 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  6. ^ Saleh, Yasmine (1 January 2011). "Suspected suicide bomber kills 17 at Egypt church". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  7. ^ "Explosion kills at least 21 at Egyptian church". CNN. 1 January 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  8. ^ "Islamic thinker decides to run for president". Almasry Alyoum English Edition. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.