His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Prof. Yaqoub Ibrahim, Singapore’s Minister of Communications & Information, and Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs. At the beginning of the meeting, the Grand Imam extended sincere greetings to President Halima Yacob on her assumption of the presidency, wishing her success in pursuing the progress of Singapore and maintaining its advanced economic and industrial position. H.E. the Grand Imam emphasized that Al-Azhar pays considerable attention to Singaporean students at Al-Azhar, and that he is ready to increase the number of scholarships offered to them. He also referred to the possibility of recruiting Singaporean imams to join the Al-Azhar Imams’ Training Program, indicating that the program will raise awareness among Singaporean imams about the moderation of Islam, acceptance of and respect for diversity and difference, and encountering extremism and terrorism.

For his part, Prof. Ibrahim expressed his country’s gratitude to Al-Azhar’s care for Singaporean students, and for the academic and missionary support it offers to Muslims in Singapore. He added that Al-Azhar is a beacon of moderation and peace, given its great efforts in confronting terrorism and extremist ideologies. He also indicated that his country looks forward to more cooperation with Al-Azhar in the fields of education and advocacy, noting that Al-Azhar is distinguished by its pluralism and respect for diversity and difference, which is needed in the Singaporean society that is known for its cultural and religious diversity.