The Salafis and Shariah

Islamist factions jockey for power, vow religious rule , reports Betsy Hiel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , reporting from Egypt, where she had to don a headcovering to interview members of the Salafist movement.

They follow no centralized hierarchy; their religious philosophy can vary, as can their newfound political ideology. Yet, in interviews with the Tribune-Review , Salafis supporting different parties agreed on one thing: They want Egypt to be an Islamic state governed by Shariah, the Islamic legal system.

And the strict reading of Shariah, too, including being lashed 100 times for drinking alcohol and having a hand cut off for stealing. One member Hiel interviewed

also wants all women — including Christians, foreigners and tourists — to be veiled in public. A woman should show only “the face and the palms of her hands,” he explains, and nothing “that details the shape of the body is allowed.” ”If her body appears, she will tempt the young men.”

One Egyptian observer quoted thinks they and other fundamentalist groups will get at most 20% of the seats in Parliament. I hope he’s right.

Thanks to the New Oxford Review  for the link.