Sultan Iskandar to Grand Imam At-Tayyeb: I interrupted my visit to Johor to welcome you today
Sultan Iskandar asks Grand Imam At-Tayyeb to increase the number of Al-Azhar envoys to Malaysia
Sultan Iskandar: Al-Azhar graduates enjoy the trust of our country, and we have noticed a huge difference between them and those who receive religious education from other institutions.
Grand Imam At-Tayyeb praises the Malaysian model in development, ethics, and pluralism
This morning, Thursday, at the Royal Palace in Kuala Lumpur, HM Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, King of Malaysia, received HE Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif and MCE Chairman, to discuss ways for Malaysia to benefit from Al-Azhar’s expertise in combating extremism.
At the beginning of the meeting, HM Sultan Iskandar welcomed the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to “his second country”, Malaysia, stressing his great appreciation for Grand Imam At-Tayyeb’s considerable global efforts to establish the values of dialogue and coexistence. Sultan Iskandar indicated that he had decided to cut short his tour to Johor to receive Grand Imam At-Tayyeb, welcome him, and discuss with him ways to boost joint efforts with the long-standing Al-Azhar institution.
Sultan Iskandar confirmed that Malaysia, its leadership and people, trust, love, and affiliate with Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif. This, he added, drives many Malaysian families to send their children to study Islamic sciences at Al-Azhar, declaring: “I was honored to visit Al-Azhar three times. Currently, 700 students from Johor, to which I belong, are fortunate to be enrolled in Al-Azhar. We encourage more students to enroll in Al-Azhar, as we have found a huge difference in the way of thinking, behavior, and societal influence between students graduating from Al-Azhar and their peers graduating from other institutions.”
Sultan Iskandar asked Grand Imam At-Tayyeb to increase the number of Al-Azhar envoys in various Malaysian states, offer more educational opportunities to Malaysian students to join Al-Azhar University and benefit from Al-Azhar’s extensive experience in the areas of combating extremism and radicalism, by holding a dialogue conference in Malaysia in which Al-Azhar scholars participate to clarify to Malaysian youth the correct Islamic approach on various contemporary issues, especially on promoting coexistence and denouncing intolerance and hatred.
For his part, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar congratulated Sultan Iskandar on His Majesty’s inauguration as King of Malaysia, praying to Allah Almighty that Malaysia would enjoy more elevation and progress during his reign. He expressed his pleasure to visit Malaysia for the first time since he assumed the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar, and that he found in Malaysia a true model of a Muslim state capable of achieving sustainable progress and prosperity. He added that Al-Azhar is proud of its firm historical relations with Malaysia, considering Malaysian students were a pivotal factor in forming and developing such relations.
Grand Imam At-Tayyeb affirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to increase the number of Al-Azhar envoys to Malaysia, increase scholarships for Malaysian students at Al-Azhar University, host Malaysian Imams to train in Al-Azhar International Academy for Training Imams and Preachers and initiate cooperation with Malaysia in a way that meets the needs of Malaysian society and addresses its internal challenges.
Grand Imam At-Tayyeb referred to the pioneering experiences of Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE) in consolidating the values of dialogue and promoting the culture of coexistence, brotherhood, and positive integration, which culminated in the cosigning of the Human Fraternity Document with His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Catholic Church, in 2019. He maintained that such an initiative revived the relations between Al-Azhar and the Vatican, together with the Egyptian Family House project, the initiative launched by Al-Azhar and the Egyptian churches. At-Imam Tayyeb noted that Egyptian society is reaping the fruits today through true integration and harmony among all segments of society, stressing that Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, in cooperation with the MCE, attaches great importance to lining up the ranks of the Muslim nation and promoting intra-Muslim dialogue and enforcing the role of religious leaders and symbolic figures in confronting contemporary human challenges, such as climate change, poverty, and development challenges.
