Egyptian Endowments Minister Wins Coveted "Global Sycophancy Award," Beats Field of Top Religious Figures

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🥁 English Translation & Title

Egyptian Endowments Minister Wins Coveted "Global Sycophancy Award," Beats Field of Top Religious Figures

The judging committee of the Global Sycophancy Award in Paris has announced that the Egyptian Minister of Endowments, Dr. Mokhtar Gomaa, has won its grand prize and received the title of "Grand Drumbeater" for this year.

The award recognizes the entirety of his works, statements, and sermons, and for turning his Al-Azhar turban into an unparalleled drum, resoundingly surpassing over one hundred candidates from all over the world. Among the defeated contenders were the Egyptians Saad Al-Hilaly and Ali Gomaa, the "Mufti of the Syrian Barrels," and Sheikh Al-Sudais, the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

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🎭 Analysis for the Foreign Reader

This text is a sharp piece of satire that critiques the perceived role of religious figures as propagandists for the state. The humor is layered, using the framework of an international award to deliver a cutting commentary on the relationship between religious authority and political power.

🥁 Deconstructing the "Global Sycophancy Award"

The satire hinges on the invention of a fictional "Global Sycophancy Award" (جائزة التطبيل العالمية). The Arabic word "تطبيل" comes from "طبل" (drum), meaning to beat a drum in praise of someone. It is a potent metaphor for flattery, sycophancy, and uncritical public praise of those in power. By presenting this as a formal, competitive award, the writer cynically suggests that such behavior is not just common, but is a recognized and rewarded art form.

👥 The Cast of Characters: A Rogues' Gallery of Religious Figures

The power of the satire lies in its specific targets. The text names real, prominent religious figures from across the Muslim world, positioning them as rivals who were ultimately less successful at "drumming" than the Egyptian minister.

· The Winner: Dr. Mokhtar Gomaa: As Egypt's Minister of Endowments, he is a leading state-appointed religious official. The satire accuses him of using his position and religious platform (symbolized by his Al-Azhar turban) not for spiritual guidance, but primarily to produce relentless, unquestioning praise for the government. The phrase "turning his turban into an unparalleled drum" is a brilliant image, suggesting the complete instrumentalization of religious symbolism for political ends.

· The Runners-Up:

  · Sheikh Al-Sudais: This is a highly significant figure. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais is the President of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosques of Mecca and Medina, one of the most influential and respected religious positions in the Islamic world . Including him as a competitor suggests that even a figure of his global stature is perceived by the satirist as engaging in political flattery, particularly in his alignment with the Saudi state and its international alliances . To have the Egyptian minister beat him is a claim of supreme, albeit cynical, achievement.

  · Ali Gomaa: The former Grand Mufti of Egypt, another high-profile cleric known for his media presence and his support for the post-2013 political order . His inclusion reinforces the theme of state-aligned religious authority.

  · "The Mufti of the Syrian Barrels": This is a deeply dark and critical reference. It is a satirical title for religious figures who have been perceived as justifying the Syrian government's brutal tactics during the civil war, specifically the use of infamous "barrel bombs" against civilian populations. It places the critique in a life-and-death context, far beyond mere political flattery.

  · Saad Al-Hilaly: While the search results provide less context for this figure, his inclusion completes the set of Egyptian clerics known to the public, broadening the critique beyond a single individual.

💎 The Deeper Meaning: A Critique of State Instrumentalization

This satire is not merely an attack on individual clerics. It is a broader critique of a system where religious authority is co-opted by the state.

· The "Drum" as a Tool: The central metaphor argues that religious discourse has been transformed from a source of moral guidance into a tool for creating a façade of popular legitimacy and silencing dissent.

· Internationalizing the Critique: By setting the award in Paris, the writer globalizes the critique, suggesting that the phenomenon of state sycophancy is a recognizable, if not universal, category worthy of its own parody award.

· Moral Equivalence: By placing the Egyptian minister's flattery in the same category as the justification of wartime atrocities in Syria, the satire makes a profound moral statement about the perceived gravity of using religious platforms for political ends.

In essence, this text laments a perceived loss of independent religious voice. It uses the vehicle of a mock award ceremony to express deep public cynicism about the fusion of religious pulpits with state propaganda, arguing that the most "successful" cleric is not the most pious, but the one who drums the loudest for those in power.

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