CAIRO, Aug 5 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt’s minister of religious endowments said on Friday “we will not allow the Friday sermons to be a method of division”, in reference to the dispute over the unified pre-written sermons.

Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said in a statement that he will discuss with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar everything related to the renewal of the religious discourse.

The past few weeks saw an escalation in the dispute between the ministry of religious endowments which governs mosques and houses of worship, and Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's foremost religious institution, over the decision which requires Muslim clerics to read from pre-written scripts prepared by the ministry at Friday prayers.

The decision sparked outcry among preachers and clerics with many of them refusing to abide the standardized sermons and calling on the minister to back down on the decision.

In a statement late July, Al-Azhar’s Council of Senior Scholars headed by Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb rejected the standerdised written sermons and considered it a step “to freeze the religious discourse”.

The council said then that the pre-written sermons will “superficialise” the clerics’’ thoughts.

Gomaa said previously that the move to unify sermons is not restricting to imams, because the imam has freedom with his audience through lessons and seminars.

He added that the decision is not "political" but the point is to formulate thought, and tackle misconceptions.

Last Wednesday, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a meeting with al-Tayeb that the state will support Al-Azhar institution and stressed on the importance of renewing the religious discourse.