Al-Azhar Grand Imam: We share Yemenis’ concerns, feel their suffering, and pray for their swift revival.

Al-Azhar is ready to provide all forms of academic and religious support to the people of Yemen.

Yemeni Minister of Awqaf: Yemenis learned tolerance and moderation from Al-Azhar scholars. 

His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad al-Tayyeb received Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Shabiba, Yemeni Minister of Awqaf (Endowments) and Guidance, this Monday morning at Al-Azhar, to discuss ways to enhance Al-Azhar's support for the Yemeni people.

His Eminence, the Grand Imam, emphasized the deep ties that bind Al-Azhar to the Yemeni people, and that Al-Azhar shares their concerns and feels their hardships. He prays to Allah to bring the renaissance of this Muslim country soon enough and to restore its strength. He referred to the Prophet's (PBUH) hadith regarding Yemen and its people when he said, “The people of Yemen have come to you, and they are more gentle and soft-hearted. Belief is Yemenite and Wisdom is Yemenite.”

His Eminence emphasized that Al-Azhar is ready to provide all forms of scholarly and dawah support to the people of Yemen, by increasing scholarships allocated to Yemeni students to study at Al-Azhar. He noted that last year, Al-Azhar provided 185 scholarships to the people of Yemen. He also noted Al-Azhar's readiness to host Yemeni imams and train them at the Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams and Preachers. This is due to the pivotal role these imams play in bringing together the distant and conflicting scholars of Yemen, and the rapprochement they can achieve, which benefits the Yemeni people through their knowledge and wisdom.

The Yemeni Minister of Awqaf (Endowments) affirmed his country's appreciation for the great efforts made by His Eminence in supporting the Yemeni people academically and through preaching, especially with regard to training Yemeni imams at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif. He pointed out that Yemen suffers from a divided religious discourse, which has led to the use of pulpits to instill a hostile culture toward each other. He emphasized that Yemen is in dire need of Al-Azhar's support for the peaceful Yemeni preacher who calls for dialogue and coexistence, and who is naturally influential because the Yemeni people are inclined toward religion. He added that Al-Azhar has a well-known global message of love and peace, and that Yemenis have learned tolerance and moderation from it, and have scholarly figures who graduated from Al-Azhar and held the highest positions in their country.