Al-Azhar Grand Imam: We are worried about the deliberate abuse of Islam on the part of some politicians who use it as a tool to gain more votes
Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif received, today at the headquarters of Al-Azhar, Mr. Marc Parette, Ambassador of France to Egypt, to discuss the common scholarly and cultural relations.
The Grand Imam said that Al-Azhar exerts great efforts in confronting extremism, rejecting violence and refuting the extremist ideas on which terrorist groups justify their terrorist acts, stressing the importance of continuing dialogue between the East and the West to promote common understanding so that the extremist groups from both sides that seek to widen the gap between them will miss the opportunity of so doing. His Eminence expressed concern about the rising pace of Islamophobia and anti-Islam campaigns in Europe for mere political and electoral gains.
On his part, the French ambassador expressed his country's appreciation for Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif and its place in the Muslim world, stressing the positive reactions to Al-Azhar's attitude towards the terrorist attacks that targeted his country during the past few years, especially the attitude of the Grand Imam when he visited the Batklan Theatre, his constant rejection of such terrorist acts and his constant quest to refute the extremist ideas on which they draw. He highlighted the interest of the French authorities to listen to Al-Azhar because of its influence on the Muslims around the world.