His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, received today, Sunday, at Al-Azhar headquarters, Ambassador Paulino Neto, the Brazilian Ambassador to Egypt, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation.

 

 

His Eminence the Grand Imam said that Brazil’s position towards the innocent Palestinians in Gaza is a just and humane position, indicating that this position is in harmony with the Arab position and the positions of the countries in which conscience and humanity are valued. He added that this position is not strange to Brazil and some South American countries, which are well aware of the suffering of innocent Palestinians.

 

His Eminence the Grand Imam pointed out that Al-Azhar’s mission is to spread peace around the world, and therefore all Al-Azhar envoys and graduates are peace envoys to the countries in which they live. His Eminence expressed Al-Azhar’s readiness to host Brazilian imams and preachers to study at Al-Azhar Global Academy for Training Imams, Preachers, and Fatwa Researchers, and to design a dawah program that suits Brazil’s requirements and internal challenges. In this program, imams are trained to refute the extremist ideology related to issues of coexistence and diversity, women’s issues in Islam, and other important topics.

For his part, the Brazilian Ambassador affirmed his country’s appreciation for the role of Al-Azhar in promoting the values of coexistence, brotherhood and diversity on a global scale, and the role of His Eminence in spreading the correct image of Islam. He called for benefiting from Al-Azhar’s extensive experience in teaching Islamic sciences, conveying Al-Azhar message to the Muslims of Brazil directly through Al-Azhar envoys, and sending Muslim children to study in this ancient institution and obtain Islamic knowledge from its primary source.

 

The Brazilian Ambassador called for Al-Azhar to be present in his country and to have a role in serving the Muslim community in Brazil. He also called for the establishment of an Azhari institute in the country to serve the Muslims of Brazil and the Muslim community, noting that Brazil is known for its religious diversity and coexistence between different religions and cultures. He indicated that the Islamic community in Brazil practices its religious rituals with complete freedom.