Any mosques or churches in Egyptian territory which pollute the river Nile may be demolished, the country's leading cleric Mohammed Sayyed al Tantawi, has ruled.Tantawi, who is the imam at the al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, the highest seat of Sunni learning, said "water is a common good which must be protected and respected by the faithful as it is a precious element in sacred texts and is used for ritual ablutions before prayer."
"All religions consider water a precious resource because it is the source of life" he added.
The imam went on to recall part of a poem by the Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawki, whose words became the lyrics of a famous song by Umm Kalthum, one of the most famous Arab singers of all times.
"Even in art, the waters of the Nile recur again and again as a distinctive element in our country and in our history."
The importance of preserving water sources but also climate change and global warming are the key themes of the 2007 World Environment Day
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