The King of Malaysia to the Grand Imam: I interrupted my visit to the state of Johor to meet you today

 

The King of Malaysia asks the Grand Imam to increase the number of Al-Azhar envoys to Malaysia

 

King of Malaysia: Al-Azhar graduates enjoy the trust of our country, and we have noticed a big difference between them and those who receive religious education in other institutions

 

The Grand Imam praises the Malaysian model in development, ethics, and pluralism

 

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, King of Malaysia, received His Eminence Al-Azhar Grand Imam and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE), Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, this Thursday morning, at the Royal Palace in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to discuss ways for Malaysia to benefit from Al-Azhar’s expertise in the areas of combating extremism.

 

At the beginning of the meeting, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar welcomed the Grand Imam to his second country, Malaysia, stressing his great appreciation for the great global efforts made by His Eminence to establish the values of dialogue and coexistence. His Majesty indicated that he had cut short his tour to the state of Johor, to receive His Eminence and welcome him and have dialogue with him about ways to enhance cooperation efforts with Al-Azhar.

 

The King of Malaysia confirmed the love and trust of the Malaysian government and people in Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and  the bond they have to it, which drives many Malaysian families to send their children to study at Al-Azhar, declaring: “I have been honored to visit Al-Azhar three times, and we have 700 students from the state of Johor, to which I belong, and they are fortunate to study at Al-Azhar. We encourage more to receive their education at Al-Azhar, as we have found a significant difference in the way of thinking, behavior and influence in society between our graduates who received their education at Al-Azhar and their peers who received their education at other places.”

 

The King of Malaysia asked the Grand Imam to increase the number of Al-Azhar's envoys in various Malaysian states, provide more educational opportunities for Malaysians to join Al-Azhar University, and benefit from Al-Azhar’s extensive experience in the areas of combating extremism, by holding conference in Malaysia in which Al-Azhar scholars participate to clarify the correct Islamic approach for young people on various contemporary issues, especially issues of coexistence and rejecting intolerance and hatred.

 

The Grand Imam, for his part, congratulated His Majesty on his inauguration as King of Malaysia, praying to Allah Almighty that Malaysia would enjoy more prestige and progress during his reign. His Eminence expressed his happiness for visiting Malaysia for the first time since He assumed the position of the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, adding that he found in Malaysia a true model of a Muslim state capable of achieving sustainable progress and prosperity. His Eminence stated that Al-Azhar is proud of its strong historical relations with Malaysia, in whose formation and development the Malaysian students played a major role.

 

His Eminence affirmed that Al-Azhar is ready to increase the number of envoys to Malaysia and the number of scholarships for Malaysian youth, to host Malaysian imams to get training at Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams, Preachers and Fatwa Researchers, and to open the horizon of cooperation with Malaysia, in a way that meets the needs of Malaysian society and suits its internal challenges.

 

His Eminence pointed out the pioneering experiences of Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE) in consolidating the values of dialogue and promoting the culture of coexistence, brotherhood and positive integration, which culminated in the signing of the Human Fraternity Document with His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Catholic Church, in 2019. The document revived relations between Al-Azhar and the Vatican. In addition, the initiative of the Egyptian Family House (EFH) has been launched by Al-Azhar and the Egyptian churches, and the Egyptian society is reaping its fruit today as a result of real integration and harmony among all of its sectors. He stressed that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, in cooperation with the MCE, attaches great importance to unifying the ranks of the Islamic nation and strengthening Islamic-Islamic dialogue, in addition to activating the role of religious leaders in confronting contemporary human challenges such as climate change, poverty, and development challenges.