The Grand Imam delivered many inspiring speeches at many international conferences and summits, disseminating Al-Azhar message and documenting its position on many global and humanitarian issues

During the year 2023, His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, Prof. Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, received many presidents, international figures, and important delegations from all over the world at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and discussed many issues and topics of common interest.

His Eminence opened the doors of Al-Azhar to everyone and delivered many inspiring and important speeches at many international conferences and summits, disseminating the message of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and documenting Al-Azhar’s position on many issues that are troubling the world and all humanity.

To begin with, His Eminence delivered an important speech to the members of the UN Security Council in the United States of America via conference call, which was titled: “The Importance of the Values of Human Fraternity in Promoting and Maintaining Peace.” It was one of the most important speeches, during which he affirmed that, in light of the Qur’anic theory on international relations, there is no place for theories of clash and conflict nor for the white man’s dominance over the rest of the races. His Eminence also thanked the UAE, as the current President of the UN Security Council, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, praising his clear belief in the importance of the role of religions and the values of human brotherhood in achieving world peace.

Out of the Grand Imam’s interest in the issue of climate change, His Eminence participated in the signing ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Interfaith Statement and the opening of the first interfaith pavilion at COP28 through a video speech. He expressed his appreciation for the exceptional commitment made by the UAE, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to confront one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today which is climate change and the accumulation of its negative effects.

During his speech in the celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity, His Eminence said that the “Human Fraternity Document” is and will always be a sign of hope to get out of the humanitarian crisis that our world is going through today.

The Grand Imam expressed his hope that the Human Fraternity Document would gradually bear fruit and achieve its noble goal. He explained that the way to achieve this is through teaching it and making it a subject of research in schools, universities, and educational and political organizations, regionally and internationally.

His Eminence also received President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, discussed ways to enhance scientific and dawah cooperation to benefit from Al-Azhar’s support for the people of Mauritania, and stressed Al-Azhar’s pride in its relations with the Mauritanian people.

His Eminence the Grand Imam received Mr. Miguel Moratinos, the UN High-Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations. During their meeting, His Eminence affirmed Al-Azhar’s openness to dialogue with all religions, cultures, and civilizations. He added that the world is now facing a very complex crisis which is the exclusion of religious and moral values from people’s lives. He stressed that this crisis does not affect only its makers, but rather extends to all of humanity, east and west.

Regarding the Italian side, His Eminence the Grand Imam received Mr. Antonio Tajani, the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, the Grand Imam stressed that dialogue is the lifeline for humanity to emerge from its contemporary crises, and that any vision of dialogue that is not based on religious and moral values cannot be useful.

For his part, the Italian Foreign Minister said he was keen to meet the Grand Imam, and expressed his happiness for visiting Al-Azhar, and his appreciation for the proposal of the Grand Imam to hold a conference of religious scholars to discuss offences against religious icons and sanctities.

 As for Hungary, His Eminence the Grand Imam received Mr. Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, the Grand Imam and Mr. Orbán affirmed their rejection of attempts to normalize homosexuality in societies.

The Grand Imam also expressed his appreciation for Hungary’s position, which adheres to the values of religion and morals, and rejects social diseases and behaviors that some are trying to promote to destroy the family unit and spread sexual relations outside of marriage.

The Grand Imam also received Mr. Ararat Mirzoyan, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the official delegation accompanying him. His Eminence affirmed that Al-Azhar’s keenness to strengthen scientific and cultural cooperation with Armenia is based on the historical relations between Egypt and Armenia and Al-Azhar’s role in spreading the tolerance of Islam and its values that call for peace and coexistence among people regardless of their beliefs and cultures.

As far as India is concerned, His Eminence the Grand Imam received Mr. Vikram Misri, Deputy National Security Advisor of India, accompanied by Mr. Ajit Gupte, the Indian Ambassador to Egypt, to discuss ways to enhance interfaith dialogue and cooperation. During the meeting, His Eminence stressed that the relationship between Al-Azhar and India is an old one that is always updated; it is worth noting that approximately 500 male and female students are registered in the various educational levels at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif

For his part, Mr. Misri expressed his country's appreciation for the Grand Imam’s efforts to spread the values of brotherhood, dialogue, and world peace, and he extended an official invitation to His Eminence to visit India and hold discussions with the major religious and cultural institutions in the country.

His Eminence the Grand Imam also received Dr. Fareh Sheikh Abdulqadir, Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education of the Republic of Somalia. During the meeting, the Grand Imam expressed Al-Azhar’s full solidarity with the Somali people who are suffering crises and harsh conditions and facing terrorist groups that have exploited the country’s wealth and spread poverty, underdevelopment, and illiteracy. The Grand Imam prayed to Allah Almighty for Somalia’s security and safety.

In connection with Indonesia, His Eminence the Grand Imam received Dr. Nasr al-Din Omar, President of the Institute for Quranic Studies (IIQ) and Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, in the presence of Mr. Lutfi Rauf, the Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt. He stressed that Al-Azhar is proud of its historical relations with the Indonesian people.

As regards Iraq, His Eminence the Grand Imam received many Iraqi delegations and personalities who carried an official invitation for the Grand Imam to visit their country. His Eminence welcomed the Prime Minister’s invitation, which he appreciated very much. He declared he was looking forward to visiting Iraq, as Iraq is dear to the hearts of all Arabs and Muslims.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mr. Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, was accompanied by a high-level Iraqi delegation of deputy prime ministers, Iraqi ministers and advisors, as well as a high-level Iraqi delegation headed by Dr. Mishaan Al-Khazraji, President of the Sunni Endowment Diwan. Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to Egypt and its Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Dr. Ahmed Nayef Rashid Al-Dulaimi as well as Mr. Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement attended the meeting.

His Eminence the Grand Imam also received researchers and directors of the University Platform for Research on Islam in Europe and Lebanon (PLURIEL). During the meeting, His Eminence explained that Al-Azhar has taken great steps to consolidate the values of human brotherhood and spread the values of world peace internally and externally. He stressed that Al-Azhar has, since ancient times, been seeking peace, and that peace is an integral part of its philosophy, which is originally the message of Islam in general.

Regarding meeting with ambassadors, His Eminence the Grand Imam received many ambassadors to many countries all over the world and discussed many issues of common interest. His Eminence drew attention to important files, the most important of which is spreading the culture of integration into societies, brotherhood, and coexistence. He paid attention to international students, and stressed the importance of removing obstacles that face them and working to spread the correct image of Islam all over the world.

Among the ambassadors received by His Eminence were Mr. José Jesús Guillermo, Ambassador of the Republic of Peru to Egypt, Mr. Mr. Penjiran Haji Mohd. Salimin, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Brunei, Mr. Zarrobiddin Kosimi, Ambassador of Tajikistan, and Ms. Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Ms. Mariam Khalifa Alkaabi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Oka Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan, Mr. Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Matar, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Arab League, and Mr. Puttaporn Ewtoksan, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Egypt.

His Eminence also received Mr. Khaled El-Shazly, the new Egyptian Ambassador to the Republic of Djibouti, Mr. Thabet Subašić, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Egypt, Ms. Nermin Al-Zawahiri, Ambassador of Egypt to Rwanda, Mr. Aneeq Ahmed, Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Pakistan, and the accompanying delegation, Haji Allahshükür Hummat Pashazade, Chairman of the Religious Council of the Caucasus, and member of the Muslim Council of Elders, Mr. Kemoko Diakite, Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal to Egypt, Mr. Sherif Nada, Egypt’s new Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Ms. Hala Youssef, Egypt’s Ambassador to Thailand, and Mr. Yasser El-Shimy , Ambassador of Egypt to Indonesia, Mr. Ibtisam Rakha, Ambassador of Egypt to Kazakhstan, and Mr. Kim Yonghyon, Ambassador of South Korea to Egypt, and his accompanying delegation.