His Eminence Shaykh Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, Chairman of the Muslim Board in Uzbekistan, becomes a Member of the Muslim Council of Elders

His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, has appointed His Eminence Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, the Chairman of the Muslim Board in Uzbekistan and the Chief Mufti of Uzbekistan, as a member of the Muslim Council of Elders.

His Eminence Shaykh Nuriddin Kholiknazarov has been serving as the head of the Muslim Board in Uzbekistan and the Grand Mufti of the Republic of Uzbekistan since October 19, 2021. Throughout his professional career, he worked as an imam and preacher at the Ahmed Ali Makhdoom Mosque in Asaka, then at the Aq Tepa Mosque in Tashkent. He also served as a teacher at the Kukeldash Islamic School in Tashkent and as a teacher at the Sayyid Muhyiddin Makhdoom Islamic School in Andijan province. He also previously assumed the position of the head of imams in Andijan province, and from 2019 to 2021, he served as the head of imams in Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent.

Born in 1968 in Asaka, Andijan province, Kholiknazarov graduated from the Mir Arab School in Bukhara in 1992. He also studied at the Tashkent Islamic Institute named after Imam al-Bukhari and graduated from the International International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan.

Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, expressed his appreciation for the Republic of Uzbekistan and His Eminence Shaykh Nuriddin Kholiknazarov and that he looks forward to collaborating with His Eminence to enhance the role and mission of the Council in Central Asia, with its rich history, diverse heritage, and cultural legacy that has had a profound intellectual, cultural, and religious impact. This collaboration also aims to contribute to promoting dialogue among religions, tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and mutual respect.

For his part, His Eminence Shaykh Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, the newly appointed member of the Muslim Council of Elders and the head of the Muslim Board in Uzbekistan, stated that his appointment as a member of the Council is a great honor and pride for him personally and for all scholars of Uzbekistan and Central Asia. He expressed deep gratitude and appreciation to His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and all members of the Council and its Secretary-General for the trust placed in him by appointing him as a member of this prestigious international body. He also pledged to exert his utmost effort to achieve the Council's goals, which aim to serve the causes of the Muslim world, promote peace, spread and enhance dialogue, common coexistence, and preserve Islamic heritage, of which Uzbekistan is a main source. 

The Muslim Council of Elders is an independent international body established in Abu Dhabi on 21 of Ramadan 1435 AH, corresponding to July 19, 2014, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. The Council includes a number of scholars, judges, and dignitaries known for their justice, moderation, and independence. It aims to promote peace in Muslim and non-Muslim societies, as well as to spread and enhance the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence.