The Grand Imam: Al-Azhar Curriculum is Safety Valve and Peace for All Arab and Islamic Countries
The Grand Imam: Al-Azhar Education Is Apolitical and Not Subject to any Agendas
The Grand Imam: We Are Ready to Establish an Arabic Language Center in Turkey and We Welcome Training Turkish Imams at Al-Azhar
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad Mohammad At-Tayyeb, received His Excellency Mr. Salih Mutlu Şen, the Turkish Ambassador to Cairo, at Al-Azhar Headquarters on Thursday, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between Al-Azhar and Turkey and to explore ways to increase Al-Azhar scholarships offered to Turkish students to study at Al-Azhar.
The Grand Imam said that Al-Azhar seeks to strengthen its relations with all countries of the Islamic world by receiving international students and dispatching Al-Azhar delegates to them. He pointed out that Al-Azhar receives over 350 Turkish students studying at various educational levels and offers 8 annual scholarships for Turkish students to study at its institutes and prestigious university. He affirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to increase scholarships to meet the aspirations of Turkish students to study at Al-Azhar and draw from its authentic academic sources, while providing all means of comfort to ensure they are well qualified.
In addition, At-Tayyeb explained that the Al-Azhar curriculum is the safety valve and peace for all Arab and Islamic countries. Its sustainability for more than a thousand years confirms its ability to confront extremism, radicalism, negligence, and its flexibility in dealing with contemporary and emerging issues. He stressed that the Al-Azhar curriculum is keen on providing worldly and religious sciences not only to Muslims but to the whole world and that Al-Azhar education enjoys the trust of Muslims around the world for being non-politicized and not subject to any agendas. In this regard, he warned of the dangerous attempts of some countries to exclude or marginalize Al-Azhar curriculum and of the respective consequences, including the spread of extremism, hatred and sectarian intolerance.
The Grand Imam also confirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to establish an Arabic language center in Turkey and dispatch Al-Azhar delegates to work there, serving the Turkish people in learning the language of the Holy Quran. He also expressed Al-Azhar’s willingness to host Turkish imams and train them at the Al-Azhar International Academy for Training Imams and Preachers and to design a curriculum that suits the needs of Turkish society and the aspirations of its people.
For his part, the Turkish Ambassador expressed his happiness to meet the Grand Imam and to be present at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, this academic edifice that enjoys the trust and respect of Muslims around the world. He affirmed his country’s endeavor to strengthen relations with Al-Azhar through holding joint conferences and meetings between Al-Azhar and Turkish institutions to discuss and exchange views on key challenges facing our Islamic world, and to come up with visions and solutions to confront and overcome them. He thus hoped that this meeting would result in many joint educational and da’wah projects and initiatives between Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif and Turkey, represented by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Furthermore, Mutlu Şen welcomed Al-Azhar’s readiness to increase scholarships offered to Turkish students, stating that this decision is consistent with Turkey’s desire to increase the number of Turkish students coming to study at Al-Azhar. This also comes in line with the efforts of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments in Turkey to establish permanent housing for these students to ensure their dedication to acquiring knowledge and providing a suitable environment for excellence and diligence.
Mutlu Şen conveyed the greetings of Dr. Ali Arbash, the Turkish President of Religious Affairs, and his desire to visit the Grand Imam as soon as possible. The Grand Imam welcomingly received Dr. Arbash’s intended visit and the desire to strengthen relations with Turkish ministries and bodies in the fields of da’wah and education.
