Egyptians determined to defend Islam and Arab land

By Hani Mohammed, IOL Cairo Staff

CAIRO, April 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Arab people’s Front for Supporting Iraq (APFSI) urged churches all over the world to sound their bells in unison with the mosques’ Azaan (call for prayer) on Tuesday, April 8, at 12:00 G.M.T for five minutes as a way of protesting the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Calling the initiative “The Cry of Truth,” Yasser Fatthi, one of the founding members of the APFSI, told IslamOnline.net that the front sent a lot of messages to the preachers of mosques and priests in Cairo , and different Egyptian governorates to get their support for such an initiative.

“Most of them welcomed the initiative and were very enthusiastic about the idea,” said Fatthi. “Groups of anti-war people headed to Arab countries to get the support of the mosques and churches over there.”

“The Cry of Truth” comes second on the front’s agenda just after the mission of sending volunteers to Iraq to fight off the U.S.-led troops, Fatthi said.

“Other issues placed on the agenda include organizing a campaign against any new U.S.-imposed regime in post-Saddam Iraq and against any Arab regime that would recognize such a regime,” he said.

Fatthi also said the boycott campaign would be activated along with a parallel campaign to promote the national products.

“We will distribute lists of ( U.S. and U.K. ) products that should be boycotted,” he added. “We will also give due attention to cultural boycott, in other words, we will call for boycotting the cultural centers and academic activities of the countries that support the Anglo-U.S. aggression.”

Volunteers Come In Droves

Fatthi further said the large number of volunteers was beyond all expectations, as some 700 volunteers, most of whom between 30 and 40 of age, came on the first day the front’s office of volunteers declared the initiative.

“Four days later, the number hit 4,000 volunteers,” Fatthi said. “The office is responsible for sending those volunteers to Syria and Jordan where the Iraqi authorities are shouldered with the responsibility of granting them access to Iraq .”

The front’s office in the Egyptian Bar Association, he added, register volunteers, follow up the executive regulations and transporting the volunteers to the Iraqi borders at the front’s own expenses.

Fattahi said the expenditure of the volunteers is covered by the revenues of some charity activities such as friendly football matches.

Asked by the Egyptian television whether the Egyptian government would permit volunteers to go to Iraq , Egyptian Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif said Sunday, April 6, the government “cannot deny the Egyptians of their right of freedom of travel to anywhere.”

Grand Imam of Al-Azhar slammed Saturday, April 5, the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq as an act by "terrorists", saying he gave his blessings to volunteers wishing to help the Iraqis fight against their invaders.

"Whoever attacks others, spilling blood, harming the other's honor and land is a terrorist," Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi told a news conference, in an apparent reference to the U.S.-British forces.