Instead of saying "prayer is better than sleep" twice, as he was supposed to, Shiekh Mahmoud Maghazi of Beheira province allegedly said: "Prayer is better than Facebook."
The issue drew nationwide attention when he defended himself against shouted accusations on one of Egypt's most-watched television talk shows, called 10 PM, yesterday.
The country's Religious Endowments Ministry suspended Maghazi after locals complained last week, prompting him to launch a hunger strike and deny that he made the reference.