The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and President of Indonesia call for immediate cessation of aggression on Gaza

 

President of Indonesia praises Egypt's role in facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip

 

Indonesian President praises efforts of Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders in promoting values of brotherhood, and expresses happiness for the establishment of the Council’s regional office in Indonesia

 

Indonesian President thanks Grand Imam for hosting delegations of Indonesian Scholars Training Program at Al-Azhar

 

Grand Imam's visit to Indonesia inspires citizens, Al-Azhar remains primary authority for Indonesian Muslims, Indonesian President

 

Al-Azhar pledges to meet all Indonesian needs and expand training courses for Indonesian Imams, the Grand Imam

 

Al-Azhar Grand Imam commends Indonesian President's efforts in advancing national progress and development

 

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia received His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE), Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, at Merdeka Palace in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation.

 

The Indonesian President welcomed the Grand Imam to Indonesia, stressing the importance of this inspiring and important visit to the Indonesian people, due to the great love and respect that the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar enjoys among Indonesians. He added that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif is the first authority for Indonesian Muslims on Islamic and Arabic sciences. Thus, Indonesia seeks to increase the number of foreign students studying at Al-Azhar, and even double them, because they represent the impenetrable fortress that helps protect the country and its youth from extremist ideas.

 

Mr. Widodo pointed out that Indonesia seeks to strengthen its relationship with Al-Azhar, especially in the field of training imams and preachers at Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams, Preachers, and Fatwa Researchers, and to enhance cooperation between Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism and Indonesian centers working in the same field. It also seeks to sign cooperation protocols between Al-Azhar University and Indonesian universities and research centers in the areas of exchanging scholars, professors, researchers and students. He praised the efforts of the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE) in promoting the values of brotherhood and peace globally, and his happiness at the opening of a regional office for MCE in Indonesia, stressing his confidence that this branch will represent a new ray of hope and a distinguished platform for serving Muslims in Southeast Asia.

 

The Indonesian President thanked His Eminence for hosting the delegations of the Indonesian Scholars Training Program, through which Indonesia seeks to form a youth front of distinguished researchers in Islamic and Arabic sciences to be the nucleus of future scholars. He pointed out Indonesia’s welcome of Al-Azhar’s announcement of its international program to spread the Arabic language, and he expressed Indonesia’s desire to establish a number of centers affiliated with Al-Azhar for teaching the Arabic language in various Indonesian provinces.

 

President Widodo stressed that Indonesia is following all the positions of the Grand Imam in supporting the issues of the Islamic world, especially his noble positions in supporting Gaza and rejecting the aggression against innocent civilians. He also praised Egypt's role in facilitating the entry of humanitarian and relief aid into the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the aggression, stressing that the position of the Grand Imam is consistent with the position of Indonesia– leadership and people. He indicated that Indonesia has rushed to show solidarity with Al-Azhar by participating in the relief and humanitarian convoys that Al-Azhar sends to the isolated Gaza Strip, and that there is full coordination with Al-Azhar regarding international pressure to save women, children and innocent people in Gaza.

 

 The Grand Imam, for his part,  expressed his happiness for visiting Indonesia and his gratitude for the great love and appreciation he found for Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Indonesia. He noted that this is the third time he has visited Indonesia, the largest Islamic country in terms of population. He expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Indonesian President in serving his country during his tenure as president for two consecutive presidential terms, during which he led his country to present a high-level model of progress and development for the rest of the Islamic countries to follow. He stressed that the relations between Indonesia and Al-Azhar are historical relations, and that Indonesian students at Al-Azhar play a major role in strengthening this relationship, and that their number exceeds 14,000 students, and they are distinguished by their keenness to set an example in manners, morals and adherence to values.

 

His Eminence stressed that Al-Azhar aims to meet all Indonesia’s needs by increasing the number of students coming to study at Al-Azhar, increasing courses for Indonesian imams and preachers at Al-Azhar, establishing centers for teaching the Arabic language in Indonesia, and opening up horizons for cooperation with Indonesian universities and research centers to qualify Indonesian youth, especially in the fields of dawah and religious education.

 

The Grand Imam stressed the necessity of mobilizing international efforts to stop the aggression on Gaza, the importance of Arab and Islamic solidarity, and coming up with a unified and influential position to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. He expressed his appreciation for Indonesia’s position in supporting Gaza by intensifying humanitarian and relief convoys to the besieged Strip in cooperation with Al-Azhar.

 

At the end of the meeting, His Eminence presented the Indonesian President with Al-Azhar Shield and the MCE Medal on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Council.

 

His Eminence was accompanied during his meeting with the Indonesian President by a high-level delegation that included Ambassador Yasser Al-Shimi, Egypt's Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia, His Eminence Prof. Abbas Shoman, Secretary-General of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar, Judge Mohamed Abdel Salam, MCE Secretary-General, Dr. Nazir Ayyad, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, Dr. Mohamed Al-Mahrasawi, Vice President of the World Association of Al-Azhar Graduates, Ambassador Abdel Rahman Moussa, Head of External Relations at Al-Azhar, and from the Indonesian side, Retno Marsudi, Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Secretary of State of Indonesia, Pratikno, and Minister of Religious Affairs of Indonesia, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.