Prof. Al-Awari: We are facing a critical turning point that targets Islamic civilization and its core values
The World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates held a workshop entitled “Causes of Intellectual Deviation Leading to Extremism and Excess” at its headquarters in Cairo. The event was attended by international students of various nationalities, including Nigeria, Sudan, Palestine, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Tanzania, Djibouti, and Libya.
Prof. Abdul Fattah al-Awari, member of the Islamic Research Academy and former Dean of the Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion, emphasized that Islamic civilization has been founded on peace and coexistence since its inception. He affirmed that the laws of Allah were revealed to promote peace among people and to uphold respect for diverse beliefs. He cited verses from the Holy Quran that call for mutual understanding among peoples and tribes, refuting the claims promoted by the enemies of Islam that it is a religion of violence or extremism.
Furthermore, he explained that certain parties exploit extremist groups falsely associated with Islam as tools to spread sectarianism and fuel Islamophobia, driven by ignorance and self-interest, especially at a time when the Islamic world is experiencing a critical historical phase aimed at undermining its civilization and core values.
Likewise, Prof. Al-Awari reviewed the Madinah Document, established by the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), as the first human rights charter in history. He compared it to the double standards often seen in international law today and the injustice endured by the oppressed under deceptive slogans.
He warned against the hidden agenda behind those promoting the concepts of “modernity” and “enlightenment,” which aim to undermine religious constants and moral values and to dismantle the family structure. Moreover, he stressed that sponsored media plays a dangerous role in this context, highlighting the need to raise awareness and confront these threats, especially since international students serve as al-Azhar’s ambassadors in their countries.
At the end of his speech, al-Awari emphasized that al-Azhar’s curriculum, encompassing linguistic and Shariah sciences such as morphology, rhetoric, and the fundamentals of jurisprudence, promotes moderate thinking and equips students to become preachers and guides capable of combating extremism and conveying the true image of Islam.
