A conversation aired on an Egyptian TV channel recently has stirred controversy across the country, as a well-known Muslim preacher compared the country's jails and prisons with hotels and resorts.
According to Khaled Al-Gindi one of most notorious of UlamaAlSultan or scholars of the sultan:
— Abukar Arman (@Abukar_Arman) August 14, 2021
Egypt's notorious torture dungeons are hotels operated by "The Social Protection" aka Interior Ministry. No mo prisoners. Only guests provided optimum service.https://t.co/iQh7llz0IS
During the TV appearance in a religious talk show on DMC, Khaled El-Gendy talked to three other Muslim figures about his participation in a celebration of Islamic New Year, one that was organized by the Ministry of Interior's Social Protection Department.
El-Gendy spoke positively about the experience, saying that the new public policy towards jails and prisons is revolutionary, starting by changing prisons' names into "social protection units," ones that host guests rather than prisoners.
خالد الجندى/ السجون اصبحت تعيد للانسان حيويتة ونشاطة..
— MR _تيتو (@TetoTm00) August 13, 2021
ربنا يرزقك ب ٢٥ سنة نشاط انفرادى في سجن العقرب
Translation: "Khaled El-Gendy: prisons restore peoples' energy and vitality. I hope you get a 25-year solitary sentence at the Scorpion prison"
"Prisons give human being vitality and energy"
— Amr Khalifa (@Cairo67Unedited) August 13, 2021
says Khaled El Gindy, a member of the Higher Council for Islamic Affairs, an infamous yes man for the ages.https://t.co/AOaDgE6zXQ
He went on to say that people should understand that prison experiences are similar to the ones people have at hotels and resorts, in terms of it being places where "individuals restore their social roles."
As soon as El-Gendy's interview ended, social media users widely shared his words, condemning his attitude and calling it "an attempt to justify the country's lack of freedoms."
Online commentators rejecting his claims referred to several cases in which political prisoners have died while spending time in jail over the last 8 years, including many young ones.
According to a report released by Human Rights Watch last December, at least 14 prisoners have died at the notorious Scorpion prison since 2015.
