Calls from a Bahraini Sunni cleric urging President Mohamed Morsy to destroy the Giza Pyramids were issued from a parody Twitter account online, the Daily News Egypt has learned.
Several right wing online portals ran with the controversial news as a means to raise alarms over the rise of an Islamist-led government in Egypt and its threat to rich historical sites. According to the rumours, Shiek Abd Al-Latif Al-Mahmoud denounced the pyramids as idolatry and asked President Morsy to destroy them.
Following a pattern of news based on hoaxes meant to incite panic about Islamists, this latest item suggests the method is effective in garnering media widespread interest.
The parody Twitter account of Al-Mahmoud tweeted the statement on the same day Morsy was announced president of Egypt. The reports are coupled with reports that Salafists are demanding Morsy to enforce the Hijab (veil) on women.While the conservative Muslims in Alexandria were able to win a campaign to cover up a prominent mermaid statue last year, most cases are exceptions rather than the rule.
But it is not the first time of reports that have flooded news have caused panic about the rise of Islamism in the Middle East and North Africa following popular uprisings to dethrone largely ‘secular’ dictators.
Earlier this year several news agencies ran stories about a proposed bill in the Egyptian parliament, which would have allowed men to have sex with their deceased spouse up to six hours after they passed away. The reports were also discovered to be unfounded.
