Today, Tuesday, at Al-Azhar Headquarters, the Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb received Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Gomaa, Minister of Endowments, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, accompanied by a high-level delegation of Ministers of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and Muftis in Muslim countries. The delegation comprised Sheikh Noor-ul-Haq  Qadri, Minister of Religious Affairs of Pakistan, Sheikh Haj Musa Drammeh, Minister of Religious Affairs of Gambia, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Judge of Palestine, Advisor to the Palestinian President for Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Hatem Muhammad Helmy, Palestinian Minister of Endowments, Sheikh Shaban Ramadan Mubajje, Mufti of Uganda, and Dr. Luqman Abdullah, Mufti of Malaysia, on the sidelines of the 32nd Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs Conference entitled, “Citizenship Contract and its Impact on Community and Global Peace.” The Grand Imam welcomed the ministers and muftis to Al-Azhar and to their second home country, Egypt. He wished them success and guidance in the conference and that it would come out with practical recommendations to help in mainstreaming and assimilating the concept of citizenship regardless of creed, color or gender. He also pointed out the importance of joint and permanent coordination between religious institutions in the world, especially on urgent and emerging issues. The meeting engaged the role of the Al-Azhar International Academy for the Training of Imams and Preachers, the need to keep designing training programs that suit the respective needs and challenges in each society, the role of Al-Azhar institutes in Muslim countries in promoting the true Islamic religion, and ways to enhance academic and cultural cooperation, and to remove the enrollment obstacles faced by international students seeking to study at Al-Azhar. The discussions also touched on finding immediate solutions to handle such obstacles.

For their part, the delegation expressed their pleasure to meet the Grand Imam and their appreciation for his efforts in disseminating the true image of Islam and confronting negative representation of it. They stressed their commitment to the moderate Azharite curriculum and thanked Al-Azhar for dispatching teachers, Imams and preachers to educate Muslims in all parts of the world.