Prof. Salama Dawood, President of al-Azhar University and Vice-President of the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates concluded his trip to Indonesia by visiting Dar al-Salam Kuntur Institute, East Java. His Eminence was received by the Institute’s leadership headed by the esteemed: Sheikh Hassan Abdullah Sahl, Dr. Amal Zarkashi and Dr. Hamid Fahmy Zarkashi, the Institute’s President. The reception ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran and the playing of the national anthems of both Egypt and Indonesia. Prof. Dawood was given a brief on the Institute, established in 1926 and will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. Additionally, the Institute had been honored by the visits of a number of al-Azhar most significant and prominent figures, including Prof. Ahmad at-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltoot, Prof. Abdul Halim Mahmoud, Sheikh Gad al-Haq Ali Gad al-Haq and Prof. Mohammad Sayed Tantawi. The Institute’s leadership affirmed that its students are studying the Azhari curricula and consider al-Azhar ash-Sharif as their foremost religious reference.
On his part, Prof. Salama Dawood emphasized the alignment of both al-Azhar curricula and Dar al-Salam, expressing his pleasure with the distinguished level of the students. He also stressed that such model represents a true extension of al-Azhar moderate approach, urging the students to exert every possible effort to gain knowledge, especially that they are studying al-Azhar curricula that graduated several generations throughout 1084 years. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Nizar Mash-hadi, the Secretary General of al-Salam in ‘Alameen Foundation, Mr. Anang Rikza, Sheikh of Tazaki Institute and a group of professors and faculty members.
