Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders Receives Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Pair Agree to Strengthen Efforts to Preserve Islamic Heritage
His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, received Her Excellency Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan and member of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity judging committee, to explore ways of enhancing scientific and da‘wah cooperation between the two parties.
During the meeting, His Eminence extended his heartfelt greetings to His Excellency President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, whose generous hospitality he still fondly recalls from his visits to Uzbekistan in 2018 and 2020. He affirmed that the Islamic intellect, in its most brilliant intellectual and scholarly manifestations, holds Uzbekistan—dear to every Muslim—in the highest esteem and respect for the profound imprint left by its early scholars on Islamic thought and heritage. Among them are Imam Al-Maturidi, Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Farabi, Al-Khwarizmi, and many others who emerged from this blessed land and whose influence reached the entire world. Their contributions were not limited to Islamic culture; humanity as a whole has benefited from them.
His Eminence also expressed his delight at seeing Muslim women such as Saida Mirziyoyeva assuming the highest positions in their countries—positions from which women had long been deprived due to ignorant customs and traditions that have no basis in Islamic law. He further commended her efforts in defending human rights and women’s rights, protecting children, promoting education and culture, and her initiatives to preserve Islamic heritage.
For her part, Saida Mirziyoyeva expressed her immense pride in meeting His Eminence the Grand Imam and conveyed her nation's deep appreciation for his tangible global efforts in spreading values of fraternity and positive coexistence, preserving Islamic heritage, and confronting extremist thought. She highlighted her pride in the honorary doctorate conferred upon His Eminence by the Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan in 2018, her close following of his speeches and writings, and her admiration for his supportive stances on preserving women’s status and rights. She also conveyed the greetings of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to His Eminence, along with his wishes for continued health and well-being, and prayers that Allah bless His Eminence’s endeavours aimed at unifying and strengthening the Ummah.
Her Excellency affirmed her nation's desire to enhance cooperation and coordination with Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders through joint educational initiatives, exchange of researchers and students, and the implementation of collaborative scholarly projects between Al-Azhar University and the Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan. These include digitizing and publishing over 100,000 Islamic manuscripts, disseminating the scholarly heritage of Imam Al-Maturidi, benefiting from Al-Azhar’s expertise and Uzbekistan’s capabilities, and coordinating between the Al-Azhar Observatory and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Committee on Religious Education to rehabilitate those influenced by extremist ideas and reintegrate them into society once their thinking has been corrected.
His Eminence confirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to cooperate with Uzbekistan in implementing these proposals, directing the formation of a joint committee to study them and begin execution as soon as possible.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan extended an official invitation to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders to visit the country and participate in the inauguration of the Islamic Civilization Center—the largest such centre in Central Asia. His Eminence warmly welcomed this generous invitation and congratulated the Uzbek people on this significant civilizational landmark, which represents a continuation of the illustrious history of the scholars of Transoxiana in serving Islamic civilization.
