As'ad should update on this

From the Angry Arab
Kooky Shaykh of Al-Azhar
This man is officially crazy--literally, as Joe Biden keeps saying. He really is. He once threw an ash tray at a female journalist because she asked him a question that he did not like. And he shook hands of Shimon Peres and then pretended he did not know who he was. The other day, he was touring a school and saw a girl wearing a niqab. He ordered her to remove it. Her teacher tried to explain and he yelled at her: I understand religion better than those who brought you to life. And when the girl showed her face, he told her: And what would you have done if you were a bit pretty? (thanks Andrew)
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It seems that the account of this whole business is a fabrication. The journalist is pro niqab and made this up to discredit the bearded fellow. It's not about whether Tantawi couldn't have done or said such ridiculous stuff, it's about honesty in reporting.