The controversy coincided with the anniversary of the birth and death of Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat, as he was born on May 9, 1882 and died on May 9, 1950.
The cemetery is located in the cemeteries (tombs) area of Sayyida Nafiya in the southern region of Cairo, among more than 2,600 other graves.
The story that has been circulating indicates that the authorities are currently embarking on the construction of a new traffic bridge in the area, which has led them to consider removing a number of cemeteries that are in the path of this bridge. , in the interest of the public, and to this effect they have sent letters to the owners and owners of these cemeteries to remove the remains of their relatives and those among them is the family of Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat.
The controversy erupted after a number of the late Sheikh’s family members appeared in the media and confirmed that they had received a letter from the authorities asking them to transfer his remains.
official answer
The “Sky News Arabia” correspondent contacted the Cairo governorate media office for a response on the matter. The official response he received was:
- The Governorate of Cairo denies what has been raised regarding the removal of the tomb of Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat, or that the Governorate sent a letter asking the family of the deceased deceased to transfer his remains at their own expense.
- The Governorate of Cairo confirms that what has been reported in this regard is completely false.
- Cairo Governorate asks the media to investigate the accuracy and refer to official sources to ensure the validity of the data.
Old paper behind the controversy
As the Cairo Governorate Media Office stated in an explanation to “Sky News Arabia”:
- The reason for the controversy was a document that was released as a letter to the family of Sheikh Muhammad Refaat to transfer his remains. In fact, this is an old document published about two years ago and relating to other developments and was not addressed to anyone in particular, but rather clarifies the method of those who will be compensated for the demolition of their graves.
- This paper no longer exists, but changes have been made to it and it was never addressed to anyone on his behalf, and therefore this paper or others were not addressed to the family of Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat.
- No cemetery was removed until an alternative was determined, so that the cemetery owners could first transfer the remains and compensate the cemetery owner.
What did Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat’s family say?
Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat’s granddaughter, Hana Hussein Rifaat, told Sky News Arabia:
- The family received a letter from the administration of the cemetery of the governorate of Cairo informing us of the decision to remove the grave of my grandfather, Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat, in order to establish a road bridge.
- The letter demanded that we transfer the remains of the Sheikh and all those buried in the tomb at our own expense, and it did not mention providing us with an alternative.
The tomb contains Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat, his wife, 4 of his children and 5 of his grandchildren.
- We were very shocked just thinking about this case, because Sheikh Muhammad Refaat is not only an Egyptian symbol, but also an Arab and Islamic symbol whose fame has reached the whole world.
- This tomb was given to him by one of Sheikh Rifaat’s lovers during his lifetime, and the deceased greatly valued this place and used to visit it and recite the Quran even before his death and burial there .
Fans of Wormwood Refaat come to visit his grave from all over the world, and the authorities prefer to make it a tourist shrine and a cultural symbol.
The truth of the speech
When the correspondent of “Sky News Arabia” asked the granddaughter of Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat to send a copy of the letter she said she had received from the governorate of Cairo, it turned out that she was not not addressed to any person or family on his behalf and did not speak of the Sheikh’s cemetery near or far, although he did mention the tombs of Nafisa in which he is found. .
It has also been found that this article has been published more than once on different occasions related to each development that is taking place in the area in which there are several cemeteries in southern Cairo, and that it has been published during several months, and the director of the cemeteries in Cairo came out at the time to explain that he determines the mode of compensation for anyone whose family is affected by the development. , and underline it as a variable.
The controversy over the tomb of Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat was not the first, as a major controversy erupted last September after the authorities announced their intention to demolish the tomb of the late writer Taha Hussein, located in the area of the Al-Tunisi cemetery, south of the capital, to build another road bridge.
However, following the reaction and anger of the late writer’s family and public opinion, the authorities gave up on demolishing the cemetery, then the controversy returned in recent weeks after everyone was surprised by the construction of the bridge over the tomb of Taha Hussein.
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