Azhar, one of the most respected seats of Islamic learning, Friday expressed support for protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square and wished them success, a senior aide said. “The Grand Imam (Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb) backs you and is praying for your victory,” Hassan Shafie told the protesters during a visit to the square. The cleric's words of sympathy were unprecedented for the head of the prestigious Al-Azhar who is appointed by Egyptian presidents and who rarely issues remarks that contradict the government's position. Meanwhile, protesters blocked the entrance to Egypt's cabinet headquarters on Friday in a bid to prevent newly-named Prime Minister Kamal Al-Ganzuri from entering the building. The action was in protest at Ganzuri's appointment, one of the organisers, Ahmed Zahran, said. Hundreds standing outside the building just blocks from Tahrir Square, the epicentre of demonstrations, chanted “Leave! Revolution! Ganzuri is a former regime leftover.” Ganzuri himself said earlier on Friday that a new cabinet will not be finalised before parliamentary elections which start next week, and that he did not yet plan to go to the building. Egypt's ruling military council named Ganzuri, who served as premier under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, to the dismay of protesters who want a new figure to lead the transition to democratic rule. The United States, long a bedrock supporter of Egypt's military, called on the generals to step aside “as soon as possible” and give real power to the new Cabinet “immediately”. The military rulers say they are working on a transition of power, including parliamentary elections set for Monday, which could be overshadowed if violence continues. Some protesters say the army cannot be trusted to hold a clean vote. Activists sought to bring a million people into the streets of Cairo on what they dubbed “the Friday of the last chance”. Until a truce calmed violence Thursday, streets around Tahrir had become battle zones with stone-throwing protesters fighting police firing tear gas, pellets and rubber bullets. A steady stream of men, women and children surged into Tahrir before Friday prayers. Some, like Atef Sayed, 45, with his wife and two daughters, were protesting for the first time. “We're here to back the idea that the military council hands responsibility to civilians. Nine months have gone by with many things that have happened in a way opposite to what the revolutionaries wanted,” he said.
