We are ready to intensify training courses for Indonesian imams at Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams, the Grand Imam

We are ready to receive all girls who were forced to leave their education in some Muslim countries to complete their studies at Al-Azhar, the Grand Imam

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar warns that wrong education helps create extremist individuals

His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE), Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, received Mr. Jusuf Kalla, former Vice President of Indonesia and Chairperson of the Indonesian Council of Mosques, at his residence in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, to discuss ways for Al-Azhar to support Indonesian imams.

Mr. Kalla welcomed the Grand Imam to Indonesia for the third time, stressing that this visit is appreciated by all Indonesians, as Al-Azhar represents a great value and a religious reference for Indonesian Muslims. He pointed out that Indonesian imams who graduate from Al-Azhar are trusted by the Indonesian people, because they are qualified with a moderate and flexible approach, as it takes into account social developments while preserving religious fundamental constants and Islamic heritage.

The Chairperson of the Indonesian Mosque Council asked His Eminence to increase training courses for Indonesian imams at Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams, Preachers and Fatwa Researchers, and to increase the number of Al-Azhar envoys sent to Indonesia, in addition to allocating a number of scholarships for Indonesian imams to join postgraduate studies at Al-Azhar University.

The former Vice President of Indonesia stressed the need for Al-Azhar to play a pivotal role in confronting the extremist and radical ideology prevalent in some Islamic countries, which are trying to prevent girls from joining schools and receiving their education at universities and forcing them to abandon education and work. Mr. Kalla pointed out that Al-Azhar is capable of discussing and refuting the ideology of these groups, and saving these societies from falling into what will have dire consequences in the future.

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, for his part, expressed his appreciation for Mr. Jusuf Kalla, stressing that his talk about the role of Al-Azhar places more responsibility on the institution to prepare its graduates in a special way that enables them to respond to the challenges facing the world, especially the challenges faced by Southeast Asian countries, so that the Azhari imam and preacher can be a tool for the advancement of society, its stability, and protection from all extremist and hardliner ideas.

His Eminence stressed Al-Azhar’s readiness to raise the level of cooperation in the fields of training Indonesian imams and preachers, by increasing training courses specifically designed to suit the needs of Indonesian society, in addition to allocating scholarships for studying for the master’s and PhD degrees at Al-Azhar University, and coordinating cooperation between Al-Azhar University and various Indonesian universities.

His Eminence also confirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to intervene to save Muslim societies suffering from the clutches of extremist thought, to clarify the correct image of the Islamic religion, and to provide all necessary support to these countries. He said, “We are ready to receive all girls who were forced to leave their education in some Muslim countries to complete it at Al-Azhar on fully subsidized scholarships, without setting a specific number for them due to the harsh conditions those girls have suffered in their societies." He stressed the dangers of wrong education, which is the most important reason for the bitter reality we are experiencing today, and which has produced extremists who tend to prohibit everything in life.