Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, arrived at homeland on Saturday evening to resume his work on Sunday morning at the headquarters of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif by receiving Mr. Justin Wilby, Archbishop of Canterbury church. They completed the talks they had held during their meeting last week in the Italian capital city of Rome with the aim of boosting cooperation between Al-Azhar and the Church of Canterbury. The Grand Imam expressed his pleasure with holding this meeting which comes only a few days after their meeting in Rome. HE stressed that Archbishop Justin is a dear faithful friend and that he cherishes the relationship that binds them. HE expressed his hope that such friendly relationship prevail among all the followers of religions so that they would acknowledge the fact that religions came to be a cause of brotherhood, harmony and cooperation, not a cause of disagreement, demolition and destruction. The Grand Imam said that he was keen to exchange visions and ideas with various civilizations and cultures in order to achieve security and peace for all humanity on the basis of the teachings of our true religion. HE noted Al-Azhar's readiness to strengthen ways of cooperation with the Church of Canterbury and to take further steps towards enhancing the constructive relations that have been initiated to be an outstanding example to be followed in terms of   understanding and dialogue between religions.

He also pointed out that Britain was one of the notable countries that sent us imams (religious leaders) to be trained in Al-Azhar, confirming its confidence in Al-Azhar and its moderate approach. The two sides also agreed on the importance of resuming joint projects related to dialogue and initiatives to integrate youth in the peace-building process.

On his part, Mr. Justin Wilby, Archbishop of Canterbury, expressed his pleasure with the great friendly relationship he has with the Grand Imam, stressing that “we can build bridges of friendships and understanding amidst the challenges and rifts currently facing the world that have long caused a lot of division and discord among previous generations”. He also affirmed that the Grand Imam represents the voice of wisdom and reason, playing a great role in bridging those gaps and bringing the followers of various religions together. He pointed out that it is important that the archbishops should listen to his speech about peace and coexistence among different religions in order for them to know the real truth about Islam.

At the end of the meeting, the Grand Imam presented to Mr. Justin Wilby, Archbishop of the church of Canterbury in England, a copy of the book, “Memories of Al-Azhar” and a luxurious copy of the Holy Qur’an. In his turn, Mr. Justin Welby gifted the Grand Imam  a matching copy of an ancient manuscript of the Holy Qur’an dating back to the sixth century, the only copy of its kind in the world held at the University of Birmingham, England. The meeting was attended by Dr. Muhammad Al-Dowini, Deputy of Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Dr. Muhammad Al-Mahrasawi, President of Al-Azhar University, Dr. Nazir Ayyad, Secretary General of the Islamic Research Academy, and Dr. Abu Zeid Al-Amir, Secretary General of the Egyptian Family House. The meeting was also attended by Dr. Sami Fawzy, Archbishop of Alexandria Region of the Episcopal Church, Dr. Mounir Hanna, former Archbishop, Archbishop of Sudan and Pakistan, and a high-level delegation of members of the Church of Canterbury. 

It is worth mentioning that the Grand Imam visited the Italian capital Rome to participate in the proceedings of the Summit of Religious Leaders for Education and Climate. His Eminence also held a number of meetings with a number of leaders of religion, intellect and politics, and attended of the International Meeting for Peace hosted by the Community of Saint-Egido.