His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Mr. Jordi Xuclá, member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), during the latter’s visit to Cairo. The Grand Imam averred that global hegemony policies have fueled conflicts and turmoil in Eastern countries. He also noted that the billions spent on kindling wars and unrest in the region have contributed to increasing poverty rates and deterioration in health and education. According to the Grand Imam, a small portion of these funds could change the reality of the peoples of the region in a way that would bring global prosperity and peace. His Eminence the Grand Imam explained that Al-Azhar, along with world sages and leaders of religious institutions, such as the Vatican, the World Council of Churches and the Church of Canterbury, is seeking to address the consequences of these hegemonic policies that afflict the world. He stressed that humanity has no choice but dialogue to achieve world peace.

For his part, Mr. Xuclá asserted that he is keen to learn about the opinion of Al-Azhar on regional, international and humanitarian issues, given its being the top referential Muslim authority in the world. Therefore, Mr. Xuclá maintained, Al-Azhar’s message and discourse are of great importance in defining common human values and mainstreaming human rights. He added that Europe needs the discourse of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to consolidate interfaith and intercultural dialogue.