An Egyptian walks past Sharqi mosque, right, during one of Sheikh Muhammad Said Raslan's sermons in the town of Sobkh El Ahad. Sheikh Raslan is at the forefront of the increasingly powerful opposition to the ruling Muslim Brotherhood from within the broader Islamist movement. Shawn Baldwin for The National
Many of the returnees to Sheikh Raslan’s Sharqi mosque are former members of the Al Nour Party, the largest Salafist political party that is affiliated with the religious group called the Salafi Dawa in Alexandria. Shawn Baldwin for The National
Attendance at Sheikh Raslan's Friday sermons has quadrupled to 4,000 since Egyptians overthrew Hosni Mubarak in 2011. At the time of the uprising, Sheikh Raslan said it was wrong for Egyptians to rebel against the president. Shawn Baldwin for The National
An Islamic bookstore near Sharqi mosque. Implementing Sharia, or Islamic law, is a major discussion in Egyptian politics, something unthinkable during the 60 years of autocratic rule under Hosni Mubarak and his predecessors. Shawn Baldwin for The National
“They sow corruption on the earth in the name of religion, they cause people to deviate from the creed in the name of Islam. What do they offer to people? Delusions and superstitions, since they are ignorant of the truth," Sheikh Raslan said, criticisng the Muslim Brotherhood in a video posting in September. Shawn Baldwin for The National
Here in a village nestled deep in the Nile Delta, the growing flock of religious leader Muhammad Said Raslan is a sign of the increasingly powerful opposition to the ruling Muslim Brotherhood from within the broader Islamist movement.
