(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, has reiterated rejection of extremist views, underlining that Muslims have a duty to defend all worship places, including churches, against threats.
“I reject extremism,” Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed El-Tayyeb said in an interview with Al-Mosawwar magazine.
He said Azherite students are studying different religious schools in an effort to make them open to various thoughts.
“Therefore, the Azharites are guaranteed against falling prey to extremism and fanaticism,” said Tayyeb, the former president of Al-Ahzar University.
“Al-Azhar is the real guarantee of pluralism and tolerance in Egypt.”
Established in ۳۵۹ AH (۹۷۱ CE), Al-Azhar mosque drew scholars from across the Muslim world and grew into a university, predating similar developments at Oxford University in London by more than a century.
Al-Azhar, which means the "most flourishing and resplendent," was named after Fatima Al-Zahraa, daughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).
The first courses at Al-Azhar were given in ۹۷۵ CE and the first college was built ۱۳ years later.
Al-Azhar first admitted women students in ۱۹۶۱, albeit in separate classes.
Also in ۱۹۶۱, subjects in engineering and medicine were added to classes on Shari`ah, the Noble Qur’an and the intricacies of Arabic language.
Protecting Churches
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar rejected any threats against Christian Copts and their worship places.
“The church is in the shield of Al-Azhar,” Dr El-Tayyeb said.
“Muslims are demanded to defend all worship places, not only mosques but also churches.”
Last month, an Al-Qaeda group, the Islamic State of Iraq, threatened to attack Copts after a deadline for Egypt's Coptic Church to release two priests' wives the group said they had reverted to Islam.
But the threat was vehemently rejected by Muslim leaders across Egypt.
"This is something to be rejected and strongly denounced, and it serves none but those who want to spark discord and target national unity," Tayyeb said at the time.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the most powerful opposition group in Egypt, has called on Muslims to protect churches against any threats.
"The Muslim Brotherhood is stressing to all, and primarily Muslims, that the protection of holy places of all monotheistic religions is the mission of the majority of Muslims," the group said in a statement on its website.
According to the CIA World Fact Book, Muslims make up ۹۰ percent of the country's ۸۰ million people, Copts ۹ and other Christians ۱ percent.
Muslim Country
The Grand Imam, however, admitted a sense of tension between Muslims and Copts in Egypt, heaping the blame on some Coptic leaders.
“Yes, there are tensions and worries,” he said.
He noted that some Coptic leaders often portray any incident involving Christians and Muslims as a “religious” conflict.
“Whenever this happens, you find some people speaking in newspapers and programs about sectarian clashes between Muslims and Copts.”
Simmering tensions occasionally flare up into violent incidents between Muslims and Christians in Egypt.
Last September, a Coptic leader angered Muslims after saying that Christians are the origin of Egypt’s population and that Muslims are guests in the country.
Furor further escalated after the Coptic leader raised doubts about the authenticity of some verses in the Noble Qur’an.
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar reiterated the Muslim identity of Egypt.
“Of course Egypt is an Islamic country,” he said.
Some Coptic leaders have complained about an article in Egypt’s Constitution stating that Islam is the prime source of legislation in the country.
“Stating that Egypt is a Muslim state is nothing but to reflect the identity of the society and the culture of the country and the region,” he said.
“There are numerous European Constitutions stating that Christianity is the religion of the state,” he said.
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