His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, received His Excellency UK Sarun, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to Egypt to discuss strengthening the role of Al-Azhar in supporting the Muslims of Cambodia.

His Eminence stressed providing full support to international students from Cambodia and all East Asian countries at Al-Azhar, so that they will be an effective force in the progress and prosperity of their countries. He noted that Al-Azhar has 120 students from Cambodia studying at various educational levels of Al-Azhar institutes and Al-Azhar University, and they are distinguished by their good manners, ethics, diligence in acquiring education and knowledge. He added that Al-Azhar gives them great care and provides them with all means of achieving excellence and diligence, so that after their graduation, they become ambassadors for Al-Azhar in their country and around the world.

His Eminence affirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to increase scholarships for the youth of Cambodia, in addition to its readiness to receive Cambodian imams and train them at Al-Azhar Global Academy for Training Imams, Preachers, and Fatwa Researchers, in order to raise their preaching skills and their ability to refute the ideas of extremist groups.

His Eminence also affirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to establish an Azhari center for teaching the Arabic language in Cambodia, and to supply it with Azhari teachers and specialists in various Arabic language disciplines, to serve the Muslims of Cambodia in learning the language of the Holy Qur’an. It will also help achieve the mission of Al-Azhar as the institution that spreads the Arabic language and Islamic sciences around the world.

For his part, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia expressed his happiness for meeting the Grand Imam and his country’s appreciation for the efforts made by His Eminence in spreading the values of peace, brotherhood, and coexistence. Mr. Sarun thanked His Eminence for his interest and care for the Cambodian students at Al-Azhar, and praised the achievements of Al-Azhar under the leadership of His Eminence in scientific, dawah, and humanitarian fields. He declared that Al-Azhar is the primary destination for students who wish to study Islamic sciences with moderate thought and correct understanding, which is what drives countries to send their students to study at this large global entity.