( CNN ) -- Thousands of supporters of various Egyptian Salafi groups gathered in Cairo 's Tahrir Square on Friday calling for the immediate implementation of Islamic law . Before midday prayers , speakers called on the government of President Mohamed Morsy to move quickly to implement Sharia . Morsy won the office as the candidate for the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party . Read more : Amid uneasy calm in Cairo , prime minister says some were paid to protest . About 10,000 demonstrators advocating for Sharia filled the square , chanting in unison , `` The people want God 's law applied . '' Egypt is formulating a new , post-revolutionary constitution , and Sharia 's place in the process is highly contentious -- dividing Islamists and secularists , and even Islamists themselves . The Muslim Brotherhood is in favor of gradual implementation of Sharia , while the Salafis want it imposed immediately . Many Egyptians complain that the country should focus on cutting poverty and unemployment , reviving the flagging economy and fighting corruption . Read more : Al Qaeda-inspired group claims responsibility for border attack . Egypt 's Coptic Christian minority , which makes up between 8 % and 10 % of the population , is adamantly opposed to the demands by the Salafis and their allies for Sharia 's implementation . The recently elected Coptic pope , Tawadros II , has expressed his opposition to Egypt 's adaptation of a religious constitution . Demonstration organizers set up a large stage and sound system overnight . Residents in the neighborhoods around Tahrir slept fitfully as the sound system blasted religious songs and prayers starting at midnight . Read more : Will Egypt 's leaders calm or fan the crisis ? The two main organizers are the Gama ' a Islamiya , which fought against the security forces of ousted President Hosni Mubarak , and the Salafi Front , which was founded after Mubarak 's departure . Earlier this week , the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi Nour Party declared they would not participate in the event . Such demonstrations , by groups across the political spectrum , have become an almost weekly occurrence since the ouster of the Mubarak regime in February 2011 .
Thousands of pro-Sharia demonstrators took to Tahrir Square in Cairo . The protesters chanted slogans against the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and called for a new constitution that would allow them greater political power. Many Egyptians want to focus on other issues , such as poverty and corruption .