He served as the eighteenth Grand Mufti of Egypt (2003–2013) through Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah succeeding Ahmed el-Tayeb. He has, in the past, been considered a respected Islamic jurist, according to a 2008 "U.S. News & World Report" report and "The National," and "a highly promoted champion of moderate Islam," according to "The New Yorker". In more recent years, however, he has been characterized by Western scholarly observers as a supporter of "authoritarian" forms of government, and "The" "New York Times" notes in 2013 that he encouraged security forces to kill protesters against the Egyptian coup of that year.