An Australian Muslim cleric was attacked with a shoe live on Egyptian TV after a row – which escalated in front of viewers' eyes – broke out over whether women have a duty to wear headscarves. The Sydney imam, Mostafa Rashid, was arguing that the headscarf was more of a cultural tradition than a religious duty when Egyptian lawyer, Nabih al-Wahsh, reacted by taking off his shoe and attacking Rashid.

A presenter on the LTC channel, Mohammed al-Ghaiti, described the scene as a "free fight" as footage was replayed on the channel. After the two men start attacking each other, members of the production crew rushed onto the stage to try and pull them apart.

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According to Middle East Eye, a pane of glass was broken and one crew member injured during the scuffle. After the heated exchange and ensuing fight, Wahsh accused Rashid of "converting to Christianity" on Facebook.

Rashid is not new to controversy, having previously written that, though the Qu'ran forbids drunkenness, it does not forbid the drinking of alcohol –angering many conservative Muslims. Rashid reportedly left the studio quickly after the brawl.

Ghaiti later apologised to viewers for the behaviour of the guests.

Rashid moved to Australia from Egypt in 2013. In 2014, the Mail reported, he issued a fatwa saying the headscarf was 'not a Muslim obligation'.