Follow-up Debate on Atheism in Egypt - Al-Azhar Scholar Ibrahim Amin: Saying There Is No God Might Cause Psychological Stress to Others

Following a debate on the Egyptian Alhadath Alyoum TV channel in which the moderator had kicked one of his guests, an atheist, out of the studio, the channel held a follow-up discussion. TV host Mahmoud Abd Al-Halim asked why the Western media was so interested in the atheists and homosexuals in Egypt. Al-Azhar scholar Sheikh Ibrahim Amin protested that "it is an affront to a hundred million Muslims in Egypt when [an atheist] keeps saying: There is no God, there is no God." "This might cause me agitation and psychological stress," he protested. In the previous debate, which aired on February 11 and was translated by MEMRI (see MEMRI TV clip no. 6455 Egyptian TV Host Kicks Atheist Out Of Studio, Recommending Psychiatric Treatment, February 11, 2018), atheist Mohammad Hashem was kicked out of the studio with a recommendation to seek psychiatric help after he said that there is no scientific evidence for the existence of God.

Mahmoud Abd Al-Halim: "The subject of our show today is: Why is the Western media so interested in the issue of the atheists and homosexuals in the Arab world?

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"The issue of atheism has generated a lot of commotion. A short while ago, we did a show on this subject, and we hosted a young Egyptian atheist along with Sheikh Mahmoud Ashour. However, [the atheist] did not present any ideology, so we had to apologize to him and to the viewers, and we did not let him complete the show with us. The Western TV channels and newspapers were up in arms, and the story reached millions through social media.

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"As you know, Sheikh, the atheists do not believe in the Quran, or in the existence of our Lord."

Sheikh Ibrahim Amin: "I know that they do not believe, but the young man said – may Allah guide him and his type – that there is not a single scientific proof [for the existence of God]. That is patently wrong. The Quran contains millions of scientific proofs.

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"I am against this altogether. I am against inviting some atheist and talking to him about atheism. It is an affront to a hundred million Muslims in Egypt, when he keeps saying: There is no God, there is no God... Brother, do I not have feelings? This might cause me agitation and psychological stress, to the point that I might say something problematic. Why do this to me? Does the European media ever host anyone who explains about Islam? Do the official European or American media – or even the satellite channels – host a Muslim to talk about Islam and to explain the ideas of the Muslims?"