The Grand Imam:

The aggression against Gaza and Lebanon exposed the international community and the extent of global hypocrisy in dealing with the Middle East

The Zionists are oppressors and aggressors, and I believe that Allah Almighty is giving them respite in accordance with the words of His Messenger (PBUH): “Verily, Allah gives respite to the oppressor. But when He seizes him, He does not let him escape."

Global political decision-makers do not want to achieve peace or support the oppressed in Gaza and Lebanon

Today's world is led by a group of heartless, insensitive people

Our Arab and Muslim world has failed to prepare itself to face contemporary challenges and has been preoccupied with the sectarian challenges and strife that its enemies have brought upon it

If Palestine and Lebanon had 1% of the weapons and equipment owned by the occupying entity, the latter would not have dared to deal in this inhumane manner!

His Eminence the Grand Imam (GI) of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad al-Tayyeb, received Rev. Dr. Andre Zaki, Head of the Protestant Community of Egypt, and a delegation from the Council of Churches of South Africa and the American Churches, headed by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director of the Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), and Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), to discuss establishing an alliance of religious leaders to demand the establishment of a Palestinian state.

His Eminence said that the Palestinian cause and the aggression on Gaza and Lebanon have revealed to the world a new phenomenon that can be called political schizophrenia, the most prominent features of which are the global hypocrisy practiced by major countries in demanding an end to the aggression on Gaza, crying over the martyrs of children and women in Gaza, and at the same time, continuously supplying weapons and explosives to the Zionist entity and supporting it to continue its terrorist aggression, and kill more innocent people. He pointed out that this global hypocrisy is reminiscent of the criminal who kills the victim, then attends their funeral to offer condolences.

The Grand Imam pointed out that those who practice this hypocrisy from the global political decision-makers do not want in any way to achieve a just peace, or to support the oppressed in Gaza and Lebanon. He added that these people have lost their sympathy for the weak, their conscience has died, and they are directing the world in a direction to restore the era and policies of enslavement. He stressed that modern civilization is trying to exclude divine religion from everyday life, and that today’s world is led by a group of callous heartless people.

The Grand Imam added, “I believe that Allah Almighty is just, and that the Zionists and those who support them are oppressors and aggressors. I believe that Allah Almighty is giving them respite in accordance with the words of His Messenger (PBUH): ‘Verily, Allah gives respite to the oppressor. But when He seizes him, He does not let him escape.’" Of course, I am not laying all the blame on the international community, for our Arab and Muslim world has failed to prepare itself to face contemporary challenges and has been preoccupied with the sectarian challenges and strife that its enemies have brought upon it. If Palestine and Lebanon had 1% of the weapons and equipment owned by the occupying entity, the latter would not have dared to deal in this inhumane manner!

Rev. Dr. Andre Zaki, for his part, expressed his appreciation for the pioneering role of the Grand Imam in promoting interfaith dialogue, stating, “Our message as religious leaders is to promote peace and tolerance, and to work together to end the injustice suffered by the Palestinian people. Communication and coordination must continue between religious leaders around the world regarding issues that affect all of humanity.”

The delegation of South African churches confirmed their happiness for meeting the Grand Imam, and their aspiration for his support in establishing an alliance of religious leaders to establish the Palestinian state, and to form a religious front representing different religions to demand an end to the aggression on Gaza and Lebanon. In addition, this front should face the violations of the occupying entity such as killing children, women and men, destroying infrastructure, homes and places of worship in Gaza, and imposing taxes on mosques and churches in the West Bank, to tighten control over them as part of the Judaization policies the entity practices in Palestine.

The delegation also stressed that the main objective of establishing the alliance is to confront the unjust policies against the Palestinians which represent a major challenge in the process of stopping the aggression on Gaza and Lebanon and hinders the entry of humanitarian aid. Another objective is to stand in the face of the biased policies of the occupying entity, without which it would not have been able to commit genocide and daily massacres on this large scale.

The delegation included Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka, President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), Rev. Khader El-Yateem, Executive Director for Service and Justice at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and Ms Bulelwa Nobuzwe Ngwana, Interfaith Dialogue Officer at the South African Council of Churches.