Al-Azhar takes centre stage in struggle for Egypt

An Egyptian holds an image of Egypt's Army Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a protest against what they say is Qatar's backing of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi's government, outside the Qatari Embassy in Cairo December 6, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer

CAIRO (Reuters) - A venerable centre of Islamic learning in Cairo has become a new battlefield in the Muslim Brotherhood's struggle to keep its battered cause alive against Egypt's army-backed rulers.

When General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appeared on television in July to tell Egyptians he had deposed their first freely elected leader, the grand imam of al-Azhar was among those at his side.