The Grand Imam calls for developing a national strategy to confront cultural and civilizational decline in our societies

 

We are pleased to cooperate with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif to spread awareness and culture throughout Egypt, Minister of Culture

 

His Eminence the Grand Imam stressed the necessity of confronting the strange artistic and cultural trends that have invaded our societies. Such trends aim to exclude our culture and marginalize its role in building the human being and shaping his awareness. Furthermore, they alienate Arab youth from everything that instills in them pride in their religious and moral identity and makes them vulnerable to polarization, which is worsened by the spread of ignorance, lack of knowledge, and the absence of good education and media content.

 

During his meeting with Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, the Egyptian Minister of Culture, at Al-Azhar, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, called for the necessity of developing a national strategy to confront the cultural decline and civilizational regression that our societies are suffering from, which have negatively affected young people. He called for producing cultural, artistic and media products that address solutions to contemporary social crises and present applicable visions. His Eminence pointed out that Al-Azhar has reprinted Al-Azhar Magazine since its inception in 106 volumes, to inject new blood into the cultural scene and revive the values that this magazine includes, most notably dialogue, diversity, acceptance of others and mutual respect.

 

His Eminence stressed that Al-Azhar nurtures in its students the ability to access various sources of knowledge. He pointed out that he shared with his generation a special connection to the Ministry of Culture, which played an important role in their intellectual and cognitive formation. It was the Ministry of Culture that provided them with a stream of cultural knowledge through lectures, radio programs, newspapers, and series of books that were issued weekly in various fields like economics, sociology, translated novels, contemporary thought, and various branches of knowledge. These publications helped to shape that generation's knowledge and equipped them with a solid scientific foundation. The Grand Imam stressed that it is necessary for the ministry to restore its role in intellectual and cognitive education.

 

Dr. Hano expressed his happiness for meeting with a great scholarly and religious figure such as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, stressing that the ministry’s strategy during the upcoming stage will witness increasing cooperation with all parties and institutions concerned with building the Egyptian personality. In addition, it will employ various means in the field of awareness and education such as the electronic book to confront the problems of the high cost of paper and printing. He stated, “We seek to build bridges of cooperation with Al-Azhar to educate young people and benefit from the institution’s resources and provide cultural doses and rebuild the human being, as culture is the first protective wall against extremism.”

 

 

Dr. Hano added that the ministry shares with Al-Azhar the keenness to reach the masses in the various governorates through hundreds of cultural centers across Egypt. He added that the ministry works to promote the aesthetic and creative sense among young people and the public masses in general, stressing the ministry’s pride in the cooperation agreements that link it with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and other institutions that care for children and youth.