An article from the Jabhat Ulamaa al-Azhar (The Azhar Scholars Front), explaining how the world was tricked by Tantawi and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to make it look like the fatwa on the steel wall was the decision of the Azhar’s fatwa commitee (Majma’ al-Buhooth) and not Tantawi himself.

www.jabhaonline.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=191:2010-01-03-10-23-49&catid=36:2009-10-18-15-31-20&Itemid=63

It says that scholars came to attend what they thought would be a normal session of the Majma’ on Thursday Dec 31, and that the matter of the wall was not in the list of matters they would discuss. Despite the members being surprised to see television cameras in the hall, which is not something usual, they did not pay them much attention, and many assumed that they were there to chase the Minister of Religious Affairs, who was attending the session.

After all the matters that were on the list were discussed, the members of the Azhar were shocked to see the Shaykh of the Azhar, Tantawi, take out a piece of paper from in front of him, and read from it the special fatwa in which he supported the construction of the wall and turned its opponents into sinners in front of the TV cameras. That’s when everyone realized that it was for this moment that the cameras were there. Which meant that the entire thing was pre-planned outside the Majma’ with the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Minister of Media.

And as soon as Tantawi finished reading it, he got up from his seat and left, thus abruptly ending the session, amidst the shock that tied the tongues of everyone present, and no one was given a chance to comment upon it or discuss it.

And thus to everyone who saw this moment on TV, it looked like the  fatwa was the result of the discussions that took place that session, and the final decision of the Majma’ as a whole, when in fact it was a trick by Husni’s puppet, Tantawi, who never once cared for the opinions of true Azhari scholars.

One time shaykh Wagdy Ghoneim criticized him for giving a fatwa to please the Egyptian government, and which was opposed by every other scholar out there. Shaykh Ghoneim said to him: “Ya shaykh, 500 ulamaa have opposed your opinion!”

He replied: 500 plumbers!

Ghoneim repeated: 500 ulamaa have opposed this opinion!

Once again: 500 plumbers!