The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella today, Wednesday, at the headquarters of the Italian Presidency in the Italian capital, Rome. At the beginning of the meeting, the Italian President welcomed the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to Rome, stressing his appreciation of this important meeting in view of the global activities that the Grand Imam undertakes to promote the values of world peace and brotherhood among the followers of religions. He also expressed his admiration for the relationship that binds the Grand Imam and Pope Francis, that shows the true essence of friendship and brotherhood between religious scholars and followers of the divine messages and sets an example for everyone to follow.  President Mattarella added that he had read Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Fratelli tutti” (all brothers) and that his attention was drawn to the Pope’s statement noting that the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar was the source of his inspiration for this global message. He thus stressed that the presence of the Grand Imam and Pope Francis during the signing of the Human Fraternity Document in Abu Dhabi (2019) brought happiness to the hearts of millions around the world.

For his part, the Grand Imam expressed his pleasure to meet the Italian President, asserting Al-Azhar's interest in opening up to different cultures and promoting moderation through its curricula, scholars, envoys and graduates around the world. The Grand Imam added that Al-Azhar hosts more than 30,000 international students from more than 100 countries, and that this represents a practical application of integration and exercise of acquaintance with and acceptance of the other. He also noted that Al-Azhar is keen, in its curricula, to introduce women’s rights and the rights of non-Muslims in Islam to close the door on extremist ideologies that export a false image of Islam and twist religious texts according to their perverted whims. He stressed that Al-Azhar does not hesitate to fulfill its role and responsibilities, especially with regard to disseminating the values of peace and combating extremism and hatred. According to the Grand Imam, Al-Azhar has established a global Observatory for Combating Terrorism, which - operating in 13 languages - monitors the activities of extremist groups, refutes their misconception, and presents Al-Azhar message in a manner suitable for young people. Moreover, the Grand Imams Training Program is accepted and welcomed by many countries, including European countries that have sent their Imams to Al-Azhar to be trained to adopt moderate religious discourse and to promote the values of goodness, brotherhood and affection.

The meeting dealt with key issues on the global scene and ways to enhance the role of religious leaders in solving contemporary crises through their strong influence. The conversation also touched on the exacerbating Corona pandemic crisis, and the two parties emphasized the importance of global solidarity in the face of the pandemic and of adopting a fair vaccine distribution policy, especially in the African continent. The meeting also addressed climate change and ways to enhance the principle of shared responsibility between developed and developing countries, towards reducing the effects of climate change on the sustainability of environmental resources.