Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received a delegation headed by Mr. Pashtiwan Sadiq Abdullah, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the region of Kurdistan, north of Iraq. The Grand Imam said Al-Azhar spares no effort to provide scientific and cultural support to all the people of the Arab and Muslim world, to strengthen the foundations of unity and brotherhood among the people of the nation, and to confront the challenges and dangers facing the Arab and Muslim peoples. Al-Azhar is always ready to provide scientific and intellectual support, and to receive students and imams from Iraq and all other countries to train them in the moderate approach of Al-Azhar, which serves the unity and stability of societies, preserves the identity of nations, and maintains the provisions of the Sharia. 

For his part, the Kurdistan Minister of Endowments expressed the appreciation of the Kurdistan region and its citizens of Al-Azhar and its efforts to support them. It is worth noting that the citizens of Kurdistan receive annually 25 scholarships to study at the various colleges of Al-Azhar. In addition, there is an institution affiliated with Al-Azhar in Erbil, Kurdistan. The students of the Erbil Azhari Institute and Al-Azhar graduates in Kurdistan feel proud that they belong to this prestigious institution. 

The Minister of Endowments presented an official invitation to the Grand Imam to visit Kurdistan. The delegation also presented the Grand Imam with a commemorative shield, a commemorative plaque containing a drawing of the ancient Erbil Citadel, and a set of books, including a book that comprises the Grand Imam’s speeches on tolerance, dialogue, and diversity.