The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Lieutenant General Emad Al-Din Mustafa Adawi, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Cairo, at the Headquarters of Al-Azhar. Al-Adawi extended an official invitation from First Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Republic of Sudan, to the Grand Imam to visit the country and discuss increasing the educational and preaching support provided to the Republic of Sudan.
At the beginning of the meeting, Al-Adawi extended greetings of the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Republic of Sudan to the Grand Imam for providing unlimited support to the Sudanese. They witnessed Al-Azhar’s services in various medical, educational and preaching fields. He also expressed his great appreciation for the role of Al-Azhar in the crisis unfolding in Sudan.
The Grand Imam said, “We are deeply saddened by the magnitude of the ordeal that has befallen our people in Sudan. We live with their tragedies, share their sorrow, and pray to Allah to relieve their distress and unite their word for the benefit of this country and people who have suffered – and still suffer – the scourges of conflict and division.” He affirmed that since the outbreak of the current crisis, Al-Azhar spared no effort in supporting Sudan and made a decision to treat Sudanese applicants for study at Al-Azhar in the same way as Egyptian students, in terms of facilitating application and admission procedures for scholarships.
Moreover, he pointed to the fact that there are more than a thousand Sudanese male and female students studying at Al-Azhar and that Al-Azhar offers 310 scholarships for the Sudanese to join Al-Azhar education. There are also permanent committees at Al-Azhar University and the Egyptian House of Zakat and Charity that consider providing necessary support for our Sudanese sons and brothers in Egypt.
For his part, Al-Adawi expressed his country’s appreciation for Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif and its efforts in serving the causes of the nation. He added, “I am happy to be at Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, this great Islamic edifice with ancient history. The Sudanese are filled with love for Al-Azhar and their hearts are attached to its scholars and professors. We thank your Eminence for your continuous support for the Sudanese. Al-Azhar is the largest institution that provides educational opportunities and scholarships for the Sudanese and the Egyptian House of Zakat and Charity – the charitable arm of Al-Azhar – made great efforts and contributed to the treatment of many Sudanese patients.”
At the end of the meeting, the Sudanese Ambassador presented a memorandum to the Grand Imam to facilitate the training of resident doctors at Al-Azhar University hospitals, due to the interruption of training in several areas in Sudan affected by the ongoing events. He said, “We are in dire need of these doctors at the present time more than ever before, as well as providing support to Sudanese hospitals by supplying them with the necessary and essential medical equipment and devices.” For his part, the Grand Imam instructed the leadership of Al-Azhar University to facilitate the immediate admission of Sudanese resident students and provide him with a periodic report to identify and promptly resolve any major obstacles.
