His Eminence Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Mulsim Council of Elders has today met with the President of France Emmanuel Macron in Cairo.

During the meeting, His Eminence welcomed the French President and his delegation stressing his openness to continuing close relations between France and Al-Azhar. The Grand Imam also explained that building such strong relations will help France overcome terrorism and all individuals who target civilians in the name of religion. He also offered his full support for France through training programs for imams to counter extremist thought.

His Eminence also added, “Peace is Islam’s first true message which also serves as the only real guarantor of innocent civilians. As part of our plans to extend dialogue with the West, we have also collaborated with major institutions such as the Vatican, the World Council of Churches and the Church of England. In fact, we also plan to take part in the Global Conference of Human Fraternity which is set to be held in Abu Dhabi next month, in cooperation with the Vatican, to spread peace and fraternity among followers of different religions.”

For his part, the French President expressed his pleasure at meeting the Grand Imam who he described as a “symbol for all Muslims” responsible for playing a crucial role in countering violence and terrorism. The French President also praised the Grand Imam for his continued work in promoting inter-religious dialogue and expressed a willingness to continue working with Al-Azhar to counter extremist thought and strengthen the values and coexistence.