A number of Shia mourners were turned back from the Hussein mosque in Cairo this afternoon where they had gathered to observe the day of Ashura, marking the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad's grandson.
A force from the Gamaliya Police Department was stationed in front of the main door of the mosque yesterday, state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported.
The police force prevented a number of Shias from entering and ordered them to perform afternoon prayers at other mosques nearby. The mosque management also closed the Imam Hussein shrine.
The move came after Walid Ismail, chairman of a Sunni Muslim group, filed a complaint with the police demanding they prevent any Shia rituals inside the mosque marking the martyrdom of Hussein.
The Endowments Ministry said it supported a decision to prevent rituals inside mosques, and Al-Azhar issued a statement warning against celebrations on Ashura.
It added that the day was for fasting and worship, and it stressed Egypt's Sunni identify and condemned what it described as "heretical" practices, the paper said.
Ashura is the day where Muslims mourns the death of Imam Hussein, who was killed in 680 AD in Karbala, Iraq, by the armies of caliph Yazid.
The day is particularly significant for Shia Muslims, who gather in large numbers and sometimes beat their chests as a mark of mourning.
The Hussein Mosque is believed by many worshipers to contain Hussein's head.
