The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar calls on the Senegalese President to adopt the project of building African human cadres capable of achieving self-sufficiency and meeting the needs of Africa. The Senegalese President discussed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar the establishment of an African advisory council to resolve disputes between fellow brother countries within the continent. The Senegalese President affirmed, “Egypt is the fortress of Islam, thanks to Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif. 

Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif received, on Sunday at the headquarters of Al-Azhar, President Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, and a high-level delegation of Senegalese ministers to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between Al-Azhar and Senegal. At the beginning of the meeting, the Grand Imam said, “I am pleased to welcome, on my behalf and on behalf of the scholars of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, the Senegalese President and his accompanying delegation and to extend my sincere congratulations to President Macky Sall on the presidency of the next session of the African Union. We have confidence in the wisdom of the Senegalese President and his ability as the President of the African Union to address the problems and paradoxes facing the continent of gold, no longer acceptable, and to find solutions to the existence of the advocates of extremist thought, as well as poverty, illiteracy and the exploitation of its resources by the West”. He called upon Allah Almighty to help him settle differences between African fellow brother countries and to help him reunite and support the weak and disadvantaged, combat the spread of children’s labour and depriving them of their rights to have education, and to support the rights of the African women as well. The Grand Imam stressed the readiness of Al-Azhar to provide all forms of support to the people of the African continent, provide them with all the potential and the expertise of its scientists and professors to improve the continent, and participate in finding realistic solutions to the challenges facing it. HE pointed out that Al-Azhar has allocated scholarships to African students to enrol in practical faculties such as Medicine and Pharmacy to meet the needs of the African countries. It has also sent academic, missionary, medical and relief missions and envoys along with establishing educational institutes in the heart of Africa to promote the moderate approach, introduce the true Islam and combat extremism. 

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar called on the Senegalese President to urge the African Union in its next session to adopt the project of enhancing the capabilities of African cadres, by monitoring the continent's needs for physicians, engineers, teachers and others in all fields, and to open the door to academic, cultural and medical exchange among the African countries under the banner of the African Union. He also stressed Al-Azhar's readiness to play a pivotal role in this important project once approved through the allocation of scholarships for the African students in the required scientific fields as well as training African doctors and engineers in order that the continent of gold may achieve self-sufficiency in human cadres capable of upgrading the continent and meeting its needs.

The Grand Imam affirmed Al-Azhar's readiness to receive Senegalese imams at Al-Azhar International Academy for the Training of Imams and Preachers at Egypt's expense, and with the personal support of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and to design a curriculum that matches the challenges and needs of the Senegalese society. He also pointed out that the Academy is one of Al-Azhar's tools for enhancing world peace and that Al-Azhar has received international recognition and appreciation for the training program it provides, noting that we are also working to develop it to cope with the latest developments and the societal needs. 

The meeting also tackled terrorism and extremism, the contributions of Al-Azhar Observatory in analysing the mistaken ideas of the terrorist groups and refuting them in 13 languages, reviewing the curricula of various stages of study at Al-Azhar to combat the ideology of extremist groups and immunize young people against their poisonous ideas at an early age. The meeting tackled Al-Azhar's approach to promote the culture of world peace, the steps it has taken to consolidate the culture of fraternity and coexistence through the positive openness to Christian religious institutions in the East and the West. Such efforts have resulted in the co-signing of the historic Document of Human Fraternity with Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican, the establishment of the Egyptian Family House, and the positive openness to Christian institutions in the East and the West. 

The Grand Imam and the President of Senegal discussed the establishment of an African Advisory Council, comprising sages and prominent activists in the African societies to resolve disputes among fellow brother countries within the African continent through providing a vision regarding the situation in Africa based on a thorough study of the African societies and having full knowledge of the conditions of each community and the challenges they face.

On his part, the Senegalese President expressed his pleasure for visiting Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif and meeting the Grand Imam and the accompanying delegation, affirming, “I am happy to be in this place whose leading role the whole world, not just the Muslim world, recognizes throughout the ages. I would like to thank His Eminence for the great role that Al-Azhar plays in serving the African continent and introducing the correct image of the Islamic religion in the face of the extremist ideologies that try to distort its image globally”. Al-Azhar does this through sending missions and receiving thousands of African students to study at Al-Azhar University and its educational institutes. The Senegalese President said “Al-Azhar's relationship with Senegal is an old one as there is a number Senegalese leaders who graduated from Al-Azhar, whom we cherish and appreciate”. He affirmed, “Al-Azhar has preserved Islam through the study of Islamic disciplines and the holy Qur'an. For us, the African and Senegalese people, Egypt is the fortress of Islam thanks to Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif. We are grateful for the scholarships offered by Al-Azhar which we hope to increase because of their strong impact on the Senegalese people and the African reality. We wish that Al-Azhar would continue to train African imams on how to confront extremist thought and the deviations prevalent locally and regionally”.  

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar gifted the Senegalese President with a copy of the book “Memories of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif” and a copy of “The Document on Human Fraternity” in French. On his part, the Senegalese President affirmed his keenness to have communication with Al-Azhar and expressed his appreciation for the support that the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar would provide to Senegal, during its presidency of the African Union. 

The Senegalese President was accompanied by a high-level delegation represented by Ms. Isatou Sal Sal, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad, Mr. Amadou Haute, Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Ms. Sophie Bladima, Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mr. Abdellay Seydou Soo, Minister of Urban Planning, Housing and Public Health, Mr. Seydou Giye, Minister of Information, Ms. Victorine Ndaye, Minister of State for Housing Affairs, Mr. Omar Benbey Ba, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Republic of Senegal, and Ambassador Muhammad Al-Amine Aty, Acting Ambassador of Senegal to Cairo.