The Algerian Ambassador: We support your stances, stand behind you, and Al-Azhar is our main reference in religious matters.

His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad al-Tayyeb received Mr. Mohamed Sofiane Berrah, Algerian Ambassador to Egypt, to discuss ways to strengthen academic and dawah relations.

His Eminence stated that Al-Azhar is proud of its historical relations with Algeria, which have been strengthened by incoming students and the envoys dispatched by Al-Azhar. He noted that Al-Azhar hosts 147 Algerian students, including 26 students on Al-Azhar scholarships. Al-Azhar allocates 10 scholarships annually to Algerian students. The Grand Imam affirmed Al-Azhar's readiness to increase scholarships allocated to Algerian students, some of them to the study of applied sciences such as medicine and pharmacy, alongside Islamic and Arabic studies, in a manner that meets the needs of Algerian society.

His Eminence also affirmed Al-Azhar's readiness to host Algerian imams and train them at the Al-Azhar Academy for the Training of Imams and Preachers, so that their skills in refuting extremist ideas and addressing contemporary issues can be honed, particularly those related to the status of women in Islam and issues of positive coexistence. His Eminence also affirmed Al-Azhar's readiness to send scholars to teach in Algerian schools—as was previously the case—as Imam Al-Ghazali and Sheikh Al-Shaarawy, may Allah have mercy on them, were among the most prominent Azhari scholars in Algeria. 

The Algerian Ambassador, for his part, expressed his happiness at meeting the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and his country's appreciation for Al-Azhar's positions, stating, “We appreciate your Eminence's pivotal role in supporting the causes of the Arab and Islamic world, your courageous stances on the Palestinian cause and the aggression against Gaza, and your confrontation of hate speech and the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia. Your statements and positions represent all components of the Islamic nation, and we strongly support them, stand behind you, and join hands with you. Al-Azhar's voice is a strong voice that speaks the truth, and it is our primary reference on religious issues.”

The Algerian Ambassador also expressed his appreciation for the care Al-Azhar provides to Algerian students studying there, emphasizing his country's efforts to enhance cooperation with Al-Azhar by increasing the number of Algerian students at Al-Azhar, intensifying imam training courses, and exchanging and sharing Al-Azhar publications with Algerian universities. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar welcomed this initiative, directing that it be studied and implemented as soon as possible.