JAFFA, Israel – An internationally renowned Egyptian Islamic cleric has sparked an outcry by saying that “Islamic governments” must be entirely subordinate to Islamic law.

Abu Alfath Alfargaly wrote in an article, published on Wednesday: “Will the [Egyptian] finance minister run the economy and the banks according to Sharia law, that bans interest? Will he allow the export of agricultural goods knowing that they might be used to produce alcohol? Will the foreign minister put the interests of Islam before the interests of his nation-state?”

According to Alfargaly, the ministers should have a methodical Islamic education.

Most controversial were his comments on education. “Will the education minister enact Islamic or secular education? Will the laws of physics that are studied in the secular system, like the law of conservation of energy, be taught from a secular perspective, like today, or changed to include an Islamic perspective, because there’s an accurate Islamic definition of this law.”

The high-profile Islamic activist Muhammad Amin commented on Twitter: “And if the law of the conservation of energy is taught in its ‘secular’ form, does it mean the government is secular infidels?”

وفي حال بقي قانون الطاقة بصيغته "العلمانية" تصبح الحكومة علمانية مرتدة؟ 😊@abazeid89 pic.twitter.com/Xw8T2pHHdN — محمد الأمين #أموي (@ibn_amin) September 15, 2016

Ahmad Abazeid quoted the controversial paragraph and wrote: “Answer your brother.”

أجيبوا الأخ.. "قانون بقاء الطاقة في الفيزياء والكمياء هل ستعاد صياغته بطريقة توافق الشرع أم سيظل بصورته العلمانية؟" https://t.co/Nx8e6fx56u — أحمد أبازيد (@abazeid89) September 15, 2016

Abazeid’s dismissive tone annoyed many of Alfargaly’s sympathizers. “Is that your only take away from the article?” Abu Azzam Alshami scolded him. “It’s a wily reading of the article that leads to pathetic insight that leads to a pathetic interpretation.”

https://twitter.com/It43Z3f3sEELQCv/status/776471051924561920

The debate on physics was soon subsumed by a debate about the right of foreign fighters to decide which government will lead Syria, highlighting a deep resentment between Syrian, Egyptian and Jordanian activists.

Syrian Revolution replied to Alfargaly: “You leave the government issue to the Syrians. They know better than you. Mind your own business. If you came to Syrian to be a jihadi, stick to it or go back to your country.”

دعك من الحكومة وأمور البلد للسوريين فهم أعلم منك

لاتحشر نفسك بأمورنا

أنت قدمت لسورية مجاهدا فالزم الجبهات أو عد لبلدك — فؤاد (@FajerSyriaN) September 15, 2016

Coming out in Alfargaly’s defense, Abu Anas attacked the Syrian National Coalition, the internationally recognized representative body of the Syrian opposition.

“Listen,” he wrote, “all that blood wasn’t spilled so that the opportunistic, dirty and corrupt coalition would rule this country, like the previous leaders who stole 100 million.”

https://twitter.com/mimostavi/status/776463968739221504

Twitter user Syrian Revolution replied: “No, you listen. We Syrians decide who will be our government, not the Egyptian.”

افهم ياهذا نحن أهل سورية نقرر من يحكمنا وليس مصري — فؤاد (@FajerSyriaN) September 15, 2016

“Those who really cater to the people are those who care about them, not the National Coalition traitors who sit in hotel lobbies,” the Jordanian fighter Abu Abdullah wrote.

https://twitter.com/mohmidfer1/status/776496758088142848

Another Jordanian user demanded that Islamic clerics decide the character of the Syrian government, and was pelted with criticism by Syrians.

“Jordanian, go to hell, look at what your king is doing to you and get off our ass,” one replied.

اردني انقلع شوف مليكك شو عما يساوي وحل بلاك عن طي….نا — شؤون سورية (@gw4p5yduflv) September 15, 2016

Others said he should shut up because his king is busy all night gambling and drinking.