Grand Imam thanks Malaysia for the 1442 AH/2020 AC "First Islamic Personality Award", stressing, “Our relations with Malaysia are solid and historical”
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Dr. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, expressed his thanks and appreciation to Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, King of Malaysia, Mr. Muhyiddin Ismail, Prime Minister, and the Republic of Malaysia, for naming him the 1442 AH/2020 AC Islamic Personality, noting that this reflects the great status of Al-Azhar among the Malaysian people. His Eminence also welcomed the Malaysian Prime Minister’s invitation to him to visit Malaysia in the near future, stating in a post on Facebook and Twitter that the 2020 Islamic Personality of the Year award is a precious honor from an Islamic country that represents a pioneering civilizational model development and coexistence. “My sincere greetings and appreciation are due to His Majesty Sultan Ahmed Abduh Shah, King of Malaysia, Mr. Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister, and the noble Malaysian people.” He added, “We have historical brotherly relations with the Malaysian people, and joint cooperation in all religious, cultural and scientific fields.”
For the Grand Imam, “This honoring is a tribute to Al-Azhar, its scholars and students.” It is worth noting that Al-Azhar’s relationship with Malaysia has been continually kept since ancient times, as Malaysians used to send their children to study at Al-Azhar University in the Ruwāqs (in-mosque classes) of Al-Azhar Mosque. These missions started with six students and grew into more than 8000 Malaysian students currently registered at Al-Azhar University, in its various colleges, Moreover, 30 Al-Azhar scholarships are dedicated to Malaysian students annually. More than 70,000 Malaysian students have graduated from Al-Azhar since the fifties. So, Al-Azhar is always keen to continue joint cooperation with Malaysia in all cultural, scientific and religious fields, and to support it in receiving international students, and training Imams to deal with contemporary intellectual issues, especially issues of extremism and terrorism. Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, King of Malaysia, announced the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Prof. Dr. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, the Islamic Personality for the year 1442 AH/2020 AC, the award granted to internationally esteemed personalities who play prominent roles in serving Islam and Muslims. The announcement was made in the presence of the Prime Minister of Malaysia and members of the government, in the celebration of the Prophet’s (pbuh) Hijrah (Migration) anniversary. The Grand Imam has delegated Ambassador Gamal Abdel Rahim Metwally, Egypt's Ambassador to Malaysia, to attend the honoring ceremony on his behalf, given the exceptional circumstances witnessed in the whole world due to the outbreak of the Covid-19.