Al-Azhar head calls on Europe to support 'moderate' Muslim institutions

Ahram Online , Friday 18 Mar 2016

Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb has visited Germany this week to promote 'East-West dialogue'

Imam
Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb, Egyptian Imam of al-Azhar Mosque (Photo: Reuters)

The grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, told a German magazine that Europe “must support all moderate Islamic institutions that adopt the Al-Azhar curriculum,” adding that the curriculum “is the most eligible one for educating the youth.”

El-Tayeb has been visiting Germany this week and will head next month to Paris, as part of a tour to facilitate dialogue between the East and the West.

The head of the prestigious Sunni Muslim institution will meet with a number of scientific leaders and intellectual thinkers in order to discuss the misconceptions of Islamophobia, according to Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

During the interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine, El-Tayeb said that Al-Azhar is ready to train European imams in order to maintain and spread the culture of moderation, coexistence and peace which are part of the curricula of the religious institution.

El-Tayeb visited the Indonesian capital Jakarta last month where he met with President Joko Widodo as well as top Muslim clerics and preachers.

 

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