Calls to close Shia media outlets in Egypt

The final court ruling on the case related to the closure of Shiite media outlets and websites has been repeatedly delayed.

The final court ruling on the case related to the closure of Shiite media outlets and websites has been repeatedly delayed.

Egyptian newspapers quoted Sabri as saying, “It is unacceptable and unreasonable to have a media platform in Egypt promoting Shiite ideology.”

Ahmad Rasem al-Nafis, a Shia activist and founder of el-Nafis website, told Al-Monitor, “The Salafist leaders were behind the dissemination of extremism in Syria and Yemen. Shia channels and websites in Egypt do not advocate extremism or renounce any ideology or doctrine. They call for dealing with the Shiites as Muslims at a time when Salafist movements claim that Shia are non-Muslims.”

In a Jan. 12 joint statement, a number of Salafist leaders demanded that Shia TV stations be removed from the list of satellite channels on Nilesat, allegedly for defaming Prophet Muhammad’s companions and promoting Shia ideology among Muslims in Egypt.