His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Mr. Saad El-Din Al-Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon and his accompanying delegation during their visit to Cairo. At the beginning of the meeting, the Grand Imam expressed his sincere greetings to the Lebanese Prime Minister on assuming presidency of the Lebanese government. He added that Lebanon represents a cultural and civilizational asset for the Arab region, through its long history of intellectual diversity and coexistence among all its sects and parties. His Eminence the Grand Imam explained that Al-Azhar is making local, regional and international efforts to consolidate the culture of peace, tolerance, coexistence and acceptance of the other, and is keen on communication and dialogue with leaders of religions and religious sects in the world. He expressed Al-Azhar’s readiness to train Lebanese imams and qualify them to confront extremist thought, and to increase the number of scholarships offered to Lebanese students to study at Al-Azhar. Besides, the Grand Imam indicated the possibility of establishing an Azharite cultural center in Lebanon to promote true Islam and preserve authentic intellectual pluralism that characterizes the Lebanese society.

For his part, Mr. El-Hariri expressed his appreciation for Al-Azhar’s role in promoting the values of moderation, tolerance and coexistence, and his pride in the person of the Grand Imam, applauding his efforts in promoting world peace. He also praised the Freedom, Citizenship, Diversity and Integration conference, which was attended by more than 200 Islamic and Christian figures from the Arab region and from around the world, including a large number of Lebanese scholars. Likewise, he commended Al-Azhar Declaration on Citizenship and Coexistence. Al-Azhar, added Mr. El-Hariri, represents the destination for the Lebanese of all sects and parties, as it represents the moderate Islamic approach that is far from extremism and radicalism. He expressed the Lebanese people’s aspiration to benefit from the Egyptian Family House experience, which has provided a unique model for realization of community peace among the national institutions.