Amir Mounir recently sparked controversy following the posting of a Facebook post (now deleted) in which he explained and advised his followers to download a mobile phone application dubbed Umrah Albadal (Umrah via proxy).
A Egyptian pastor, Amir Mounir, has been detained after he promoted an app which is charged users for Umrah through proxy.
Amir Mounir was arrested after an attorney Hani Sameh filed a complaint to the public prosecutor accusing Mounir of “committing crimes of receiving money, donations and Islamic preaching without a license from the Ministry of Endowments.”
Mounir was recently the subject of controversy after he shared an Instagram video (now deleted) in which Mounir explained and advised his fans to download the mobile phone application Umrah Albadal (Umrah via proxy).
Based on Google Play Store Google Play Store, the app, which was launched in the year 2019 has been downloaded over 10,000 times and boasts an average score of 3.2 stars.
He also said the discount would be extended with the help of his promo coupons.
In addition, the app claims that the pilgrimage could be done on behalf of family members or loved ones who are sick members.
لإننا عارفين إنك أهبل وعبيط هناخد منك ٤٠٠٠ جنيه بس ونعمل عمرة لأمواتك بدل ما تتعب نفسك وتعملهم صدقة جارية على الفقراء زي ما النبي قال😳
— Ismail Hosny (@IsmailHosny1) September 4, 2023
ولإنك فقير وعدمان هنديك خصم كبير قوي😀
وعلى فكرة الأبليكيشن سعودي يعني مضمون ١٠٠٪😀
التجارة بالدين وصلت إلى حد السفه، ولا أحد في بلدنا يحمي… pic.twitter.com/RXts2URxif
The app, according to critics, commercializes religious practices to earn money and promotes the unacceptable practice of allowing people to make pilgrimages as proxy for people who aren’t able to.
The Egyptian Al-Azhar Fatwa Global Center issued an Islamic ruling against the monetisation of Umrah by proxy, and referring to “religious brokers” as defying the religious purpose behind their rituals.
“The general public’s disapproval and denunciation of such new ideas is evidence of the public’s awareness and their refusal to turn rituals and worship into a job or profession that is performed without spirit or invoking reverence,” the statement read.
