Sheikh Al-Azhar: With open arms, I call for dialogue between Shia and Sunni scholars.
Al-Azhar Sheikh of Egypt asked the Shiite scholars to enter into a dialogue with the Sunni scholars in order to “combat sedition” and “sectarian conflict”.
Ahmed al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar University in Egypt, as the most important Sunni religious institution, today (Friday) at the conclusion of the Bahrain dialogue conference, called for the establishment of an Islamic-Islamic dialogue with the presence of Shiite and Sunni scholars.
According to Al-Mayadin, he was speaking in the presence of Pope Francis, who arrived in Bahrain yesterday, and added: “I and the great scholars of Al-Azhar and the council of “Muslim wisdom” are ready from the bottom of our hearts and with open arms to meet with our Shia Muslim brothers. Let’s sit around a table.
Ahmad al-Tayeb announced the purpose of establishing a Shia-Sunni dialogue to fight sedition and sectarian conflict and added: “I ask all Islamic scholars in the world to quickly establish a serious Islamic-Islamic dialogue in the direction of unity and with all religious, sectarian and school differences. Proximity and getting to know each other come into action.”
Al-Azhar Sheikh of Egypt emphasized that the purpose of this meeting is to overcome the past and strengthen Islam and unify Islamic positions, and said that hostile and hateful speeches from both sides should be stopped and incitement and blasphemy should be eliminated.
He said that historical and contemporary differences with all their forms should be overcome.
In another part of his speech, Sheikh Al-Azhar discussed the war between Ukraine and Russia, and in this regard, he emphasized the need to stop this war and for the two sides to sit at the table for discussion and negotiation.
