You are partners in spreading Al-Azhar’s message and its moderate methodology worldwide.

Those who justify Gaza’s tragedy have lost their false cover of human rights claims and the like.

New ambassadors: We appreciate the Grand Imam’s role in spreading moderation and strengthening dialogue and brotherhood worldwide.

His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad al-Tayyeb, received today, Wednesday, a delegation of newly appointed Egyptian ambassadors to 27 countries around the world, on the occasion of starting their diplomatic missions in these countries.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Eminence the Grand Imam welcomed Egypt's new ambassadors to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, expressing his congratulations on their appointment as Egypt's ambassadors to the countries to which they are assigned. He prayed to Allah Almighty to grant them success in carrying out their new mission in the best possible manner.

His Eminence said, “Since its establishment, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif has never been detached from the reality of the Muslim nation, and throughout its long history, despite all the challenges it has faced, it has continued to fulfill its mission of spreading the message of moderation and balance in Egypt and the world, without any negligence.” He pointed out that Al-Azhar’s work abroad to deliver its message to the world is based on several points, foremost among which are foreign students, as Al-Azhar opens its doors to them to study Arabic and Islamic sciences through the scholarships it allocates to various countries around the world, in addition to recently granting them the right to study medicine, pharmacy, engineering and other applied sciences. 

He added that Al-Azhar also opens its doors to imams around the world to acquire Al-Azhar sciences from their source, and to acquire skills to confront extremist and radical thoughts in their countries, through Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams and Preachers. In addition, Al-Azhar has opened several centers for teaching the Arabic language in a number of countries around the world, to serve as a nucleus for spreading the Arabic language and enhancing its spread in these countries, as this is an integral part of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif’s message.

The Grand Imam emphasized that Egypt's ambassadors abroad play a significant role in optimally conveying Al-Azhar's message to the countries in which they work, by overcoming any obstacles and difficulties that may face Al-Azhar's missions, graduates, educational institutes, and Arabic language teaching centers in these countries. He emphasized that success in this regard is primarily a success for Egyptian diplomacy and a strong addition to it, as Al-Azhar is an integral part of Egypt's soft power abroad, with its tens of thousands of graduates spread across various countries, hundreds of envoys, and dozens of educational institutes that aim to promote Al-Azhar’s moderate thought and confront extremist ideas around the world.

His Eminence explained that Al-Azhar—in addition to its role in spreading the path of moderation—is also responsible for confronting the Western campaigns that arise from time to time to impose unacceptable behaviors such as homosexuality, etc. These campaigns are funded by huge amounts of money and employ a variety of tools and methods to impose them forcefully on Islamic countries. These campaigns are based on a false belief and faith in various theories that promote the idea of hegemony, such as the “Clash of Civilizations” theory, the “End of History” theory, and other theories that perpetuate the dominance of the white race. He pointed out that these civilizations that practice this hegemony usually take their needs wherever they find them without the slightest consideration for others.

His Eminence touched on the tragedy of Gaza and the suffering its people are experiencing, the likes of which we have never seen in modern history. He pointed out that Gaza, for nearly two full years, has been subjected to genocide by various means, including killing, starvation, bombing, displacement, and more. What is strange is that some people justify this humanitarian tragedy, which has led to them losing the support they rely on, such as claims of protecting human rights and other false claims that are not worth the ink with which they are written. He pointed out that Al-Azhar does not hesitate to provide support to Gaza and highlight the tragedy its people are suffering, in addition to sending numerous convoys of humanitarian and relief aid through the Zakat and Charity House, as part of Al-Azhar's role in supporting our brothers there.

The new Egyptian ambassadors expressed their happiness at meeting His Eminence the Grand Imam and their appreciation for the significant role he plays in spreading moderation and instilling the values of dialogue and brotherhood. They noted that they are fully aware of the prestigious position Al-Azhar Al-Sharif enjoys in Egypt and the world, expressing their hope to contribute to overcoming any obstacles that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif may face in fulfilling its mission and carrying out its assigned role in various countries around the world.

They also commended the Grand Imam's unprecedented efforts to develop Al-Azhar and strengthen its historic role as a moderate Islamic authority. They also expressed their appreciation for Al-Azhar's role in championing the Palestinian cause, not only by lobbying for the Palestinian people to obtain their rights, but also by raising awareness of the role of free people in supporting our brothers and sisters in Palestine.

The delegation included Ambassador Ragy Mohamed Mohamed El-Etreby, Egypt’s Ambassador to Japan, Ambassador Ashraf Mohamed Nabhan Sweilam, Egypt’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Amal Mohamed Abdel Hamid, Egypt’s Ambassador to Armenia, Ambassador Essam El-Din Abdel Hamid Moawad, Egypt’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Ambassador Naglaa Mohamed Naguib Ahmed, Egypt’s Ambassador to Sweden, Minister Plenipotentiary Hazem Ismail Ibrahim Zaki (South Korea), Minister Plenipotentiary Tarek Fathy Mohamed Tayel (Portugal), Minister Plenipotentiary Obaida Abdullah Abu Al-Abbas (Ethiopia), Minister Plenipotentiary Ramia Shawky Abdel Salam (Namibia), Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Omar Hussein Azmy (Chile), Minister Plenipotentiary Amr Ahmed Mohamed El-Rashidi (France), Minister Plenipotentiary Walid Fahmy Ali El-Faqi (Qatar), Minister Plenipotentiary Rasha Hamdy Ahmed Hussein (Malawi), Minister Plenipotentiary Walid Othman Karam El-Din Ali (Italy), Minister Plenipotentiary Reem Zeinhom Antar Zahran (Australia), Minister Plenipotentiary Abdel Latif Abdel Salam Abdo (Algeria), Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Shahat Mohamed Hussein (Guinea), Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Abdel Aziz Mounir (Niger), Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Salah Hassan Kishta (Somalia), Minister Plenipotentiary Hanan Abdel Aziz El Saeed Shahin (Rwanda), Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Zakaria Hussein (Burkina Faso), Minister Plenipotentiary Ahmed Salama El Sayed Mohamed (Serbia), Minister Plenipotentiary Abdel Rahman Raafat Khattab (Djibouti), Minister Plenipotentiary Marwa Ibrahim Mohamed Youssef (Cameroon), Minister Plenipotentiary Wael Fathi Bayoumi Ahmed (Ghana), Minister Plenipotentiary Maha Serag El Din Mustafa (Zimbabwe), and Minister Plenipotentiary Hazem Mohamed Mamdouh Mahmoud (South Sudan).