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Date of source: 7 Jan 2024
Al-Azhar Fatwā Global Center published a report on Saturday (January 7) to shed light on the biography of Grand Imām of al-Azhar, Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb, on his birthday, which falls on January 6.
Imām Aḥmad Muḥammad Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb al-Ḥassānī was born on January 6, 1946 in the village of al-Qurna,...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 5 Jan 2024
Indonesian President Joko Widodo received the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Salām, to discuss means of boosting cooperation and the roles of the Muslim nation’s scholars and elders in facing the challenges of today’s world.
The Indonesian president expressed...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 10 Jan 2024
The year 2023 has seen strenuous efforts by the Muslim Council of Elders, led by Grand Imām of al-Azhar, Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb, with the aim of activating the role of religious leaders in confronting global challenges and contributing to finding concrete solutions, namely in the climate change issue...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 4 Jan 2024
In 2023, the Muslim Council of Elders presented more than 200 publications aimed at enhancing the values of tolerance and fraternity at book fairs around the world. Locations included Cairo, New Delhi, Alexandria, Abu Dhabi, Rabat, Jakarta and Istanbul.
The council began its contributions to...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 7 Jan 2024
The Copts of Egypt stand by the Muslim community in their rejection of Israeli aggression and display of solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine in general.
Press releases and statements by the top clergymen of the church were made one week after the attacks to condemn the aggression and...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 30 Dec 2023
The year of 2023 witnessed an important visit by Grand Imām of al-Azhar, Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb, to the German capital of Berlin to participate in the International Peace Conference, which was organized by the Sant Egidio Association from the 10-12 of September. During the visit, there were many...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 30 Dec 2023
Religious institutions in Egypt rejected “seasonal unofficial fatwās” prohibiting congratulating Christians for Christmas, adding that whoever promotes these opinions is considered to be a hardliner who has nothing to do with Islam. Al-Azhar said in a statement that people who deem congratulating...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 28 Dec 2023
Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, Dr. Naẓīr ʿAyyād, said that the academy attached special importance to the Palestinian issue during 2023, as al-Azhar’s great interest in this cause is pivotal for both the Arab and Muslim nations. He said that al-Azhar has exerted tremendous...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 31 Dec 2023
Throughout 2023, al-Azhar magazine has published several articles by renowned scholars of al-Azhar in Egypt and the Arab world on a host of important topics, such as studies of the Qurʾān and the Sunnah, heritage, discourse renewal issues, scholarly studies of the sharīʿa, history, and the Arabic...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 30 Dec 2023
The year 2023 witnessed strenuous efforts and activities by Al-Azhar Global Fatwā Center to spread awareness and correct misconceptions of Islam through integrated programs by scholars of the center and maintaining an intensive presence on all media platforms.
During 2023, the center continued its...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 27 Dec 2023
As controversy renewed with the beginning of a new Gregorian calendar year, al-Azhar and Dār al-Iftāʾ issued fatwās related to the greeting of non-Muslims over their holidays. Some pages re-published a video for Grand Imām of al-Azhar, Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb, urging Muslims to congratulate non-Muslims...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 31 Dec 2023
Pope Tawāḍrūs II of the Coptic Orthodox Church said the number of Copts in Egypt are up to 15 million, which is nearly 15% of the population of Egypt, adding that Copts outside Egypt are close to two million in 100 nations.
“The church has something called ‘Church Membership,’ where each child born...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 2 Jan 2024
Pope Tawāḍrūs II of the Coptic Orthodox Church received Dr. Andrēa Zakī, President of the Coptic Evangelical Community in Egypt, along with a high-level delegation of the Evangelical denomination, who congratulated the pope over the Eastern Christmas.
Dr. Zakī emphasized the authentic joy and love...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 31 Dec 2023
Hours before the beginning of the new year, al-Azhar prayed for God Almighty to grant victory to the people of Gaza against the Zionists.
The official Facebook page for al-Azhar read, “One year has passed, and the Palestinian people have suffered from violent terrorist aggression: they have...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 31 Dec 2023
The International Organization for al-Azhar Alumni and the Islamic Convoy for Daʿwa (calls) and Relief, in association with al-Azhar Institutes Sector and the Islamic Research Academy, launched an awareness-raising convoy in southern Sinai, in addition to distributing clothing to the families of...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 31 Dec 2023
Between inspiring and decisive humanitarian positions to stop disputes and to protect feelings and sanctities, al-Azhar has spent the year of 2023 leading campaigns on all religious and political levels, from protecting the Holy Qurʾān when it was burned in a number of European nations, to assuming...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 1 Jan 2024
Pope Tawāḍrūs II has praised the Egyptian President's ability to separate religion from politics, stating: “I love that President Sīsī distances himself from religion.”
During the program “Fī al-Masāʾ maʿ Qaṣwāʾ” (In the Evening with Qaṣwāʾ), on channel CBC, he added, “Despite this, I have never...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 31 Dec 2023
Pope Tawāḍrūs II said that the beginning of Christianity dates back to the first century AD.
On Sunday evening, during the program “Fī al-Masāʾ maʿ Qaṣwāʾ” (In the Evening with Qaṣwāʾ), aired on the channel CBC and presented by the media personality Qaṣwāʾ al-Khalālī, Pope Tawāḍrūs said that...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 1 Jan 2024
The Grand Imām of al-Azhar, Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb, has declared that what is happening on the ground in Palestine is a hideous atrocity and a crime of unprecedented magnitude, stressing that these events cannot be described as war, since war is typically fought between two equal sides. He described...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 31 Dec 2023
Pope Tawāḍrūs II said that it is not correct to use old ways of thinking when it comes to solving current issues. Although they may have worked out well in the past, they are inapplicable in the present and since each era has its own needs and visions, it is therefore important for the individual...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 23 Dec 2023
A company was established with the responsibility of legitimizing the theft of Palestinian land — which was central to the colonial project — and inventing a narrative that the colonial countries, along with the most knowledgeable of the twentieth century, would approve for the sake of making this...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 15 Dec 2023
The Maronite denomination emerged in Egypt in 1745, when the Aleppo monk, Mūsa Hilāna, consecrated al-Bārija, the first Maronite church in Damietta (Dumyāṭ), as well as in Egypt and Africa.
Archbishop George Shīḥān of the Maronite denomination in Egypt made a statement to al-Yawm al-Sābiʿ, saying...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 15 Dec 2023
Coptic Christians are awaiting the president’s decisions to resolve their issues, which have remained unsolved over the years under successive governments.
The official spokesman for the Coptic Catholic Church of Egypt, Anbā Bakhūm, emphasized that the concerns of Copts are not exclusive to them...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 17 Dec 2023
On December 17, 1273, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Rūmī, a poet, Ṣūfī mystic, and scholar of the Ḥanafī doctrine, passed away.
The shift in the life of al-Rūmī took place in the year 1244, when he met a wandering Ṣūfī named Shams al-Tabrīzī. At the time, Rūmī was 37 years old and a traditionalist Islamic...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 11 Dec 2023
The Ṣūfī Council in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan held a scholarly symposium on interpretation of the Holy Qurʾān, moderated by the council’s secretary-general, Dr. Muḥammad al-ʿĀydī.
The event discussed the means of interpreting the Qurʾān and examined the historical role played by Ṣūfī scholars...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 13 Dec 2023
Today, December 13, marks the death anniversary of Shaykh Maḥmūd Shaltūt, an imām who was responsible for some of the largest religious discourse renewals in the 20th century, with illuminating and unprecedented contributions made in the service of the Islamic sharīʿa.
Born in 1893 in al-Buḥayra...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 16 Dec 2023
The province of al-Ismāʿīlīya, situated approximately 120 kilometers northeast of Cairo, received a daʿwa (call) convoy, launched by al-Azhar under the auspices of Grand Imām, Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb. The primary objective of this initiative was to propagate the accurate concepts of Islam by...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 15 Dec 2023
A preacher from al-Azhar highlighted Egypt’s pioneering role in helping those in Gaza, as the leadership, government, and people have steadfastly supported the Palestinians by providing over 70% of the necessary aid.
“As Egyptians, we bear a huge responsibility towards this homeland maintaining its...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 12 Dec 2023
The Grand Muftī of Egypt, Dr. Shawqī ʿAllām, emphasized the profound responsibility of religious leaders, scholars, and preachers in enhancing the ethical and spiritual values as advocated by divine religions. This, he asserted, is crucial to stopping violence, wars, and attacks on the vulnerable...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 13 Dec 2023
The Coptic Orthodox Church, through its public and social services archbishopric, continues to prepare aid comprising medicine, medical supplies, food, garments, and blankets to send to the Gaza Strip.
The church appealed to its congregation to participate in this humanitarian support activity as...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 3 Dec 2023
Amidst intense shelling raids on civilians’ houses in the Gaza Strip during the early hours of December 3, Dr. Sofyān Tāyīh, President of the Islamic University in Gaza, was killed, along with his family members and numerous displaced Palestinians, in the al-Fallūja area of Jabālyā, northern Gaza....
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 2 Dec 2023
Grand Imām of al-Azhar, Dr. Aḥmad el-Ṭayyīb, has allowed for the immediate provision of full scholarships to students from Palestine, including exemption from tuition fees and housing costs within the institution, in addition to an allowance that will be provided on a monthly basis to all...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 1 Nov 2023
Millions of citizens in Egypt and around the world have been following the events of violence, killing, and destruction that the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have been exposed to since the events of October 7th, which could be seen as the Palestinian people attempting to defend their land...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 9 Dec 2023
Studying a course of American law for religious freedom in early 1995 allowed me to see the role played by the religious right-wing trinity in partnership with the Jewish and Zionist lobby and its various manifestations, which can be religious, political, social, or economic —and include Christian...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 16 Dec 2023
Near the end of the 1980’s, the Middle East Council of Churches formed a working group to examine Christian Zionism, and issued a focused booklet that was published in both the Arabic and English languages. In this booklet, the research team refuted the starting premises of Christian Zionism that...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 29 Dec 2023
Pope Tawāḍrūs praises the organization of the elections: “There is nothing more beautiful than this”
Date of source: 10 Dec 2023
Pope Tawāḍrūs II called on all Egyptians to participate in the presidential elections, stressing that voting is a constitutional right for everyone.
After casting his own vote in the presidential elections of 2024, Pope Tawāḍrūs told Extra News, “As Egyptians, we are accustomed to not giving up our...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 10 Dec 2023
This morning (Sunday), the undersecretary of al-Azhar, Dr. Muḥammad al-Ḍūwaynī, cast his vote for the presidential elections at the committee of al-Ṭabrī school in the area of Shurūq city.
After casting his vote, Dr. Al-Ḍūwaynī made a statement saying that participation in the presidential election...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 13 Dec 2023
The activities of the monthly symposium of al-Azhar magazine, held by the Islamic Research Academy, have been launched under the title: “The Reality of the Palestinian Issue: Between Displacement and Liquidation.” The symposium will be under the leadership of the Grand Imām, Dr. Aḥmad el-Ṭayyīb,...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 11 Dec 2023
Pope Tawāḍrūs II said that participating in the elections is a duty for all citizens in the building the nation.
He stressed that choice is both a personal freedom and a responsibility because everyone is free to choose what they wish, but whoever makes a choice must know that he or she will bear...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 17 Dec 2023
On this day, the 17th of December, in the year of 1267, the Friday prayers were held for the first time in al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo during the reign of Sulṭān al-Ẓāher Beybers, after nearly a century of the mosque being closed. Al-Azhar Mosque had been neglected during the reign of the Ayyubid...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 18 Dec 2023
Pope Francis denounced the IDF for the killing of two Christian women who had sought refuge in a church in Gaza, once again indicating that Israel is using tactics of “terrorism” in the Gaza Strip.
In his weekly sermon, the Pope referred to a statement made by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem,...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 10 Dec 2023
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Talāʿ al-ʿAlī, located in the Jordanian capital of Amman, recently hosted a musical event in anticipation of Christmas to enhance hope for an end to the aggression in Gaza.
The event was attended by the Latin Patriarchal Vicar of Jordan, Bishop Jamāl Diʿības, and...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 8 Dec 2023
On Thursday, December 7th, Denmark’s parliament adopted a law prohibiting the burning of copies of the Holy Qurʾān in response to a series of incidents where Islam's holy book was desecrated, which sparked outrage in Muslim countries.
The new legislation will extend beyond the Qurʾān and also ban...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 4 Dec 2023
On Monday, December 4th, the Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, Anbā Ibrāhīm Isḥaq Sidrāk, welcomed a delegation of archbishops of Catholic churches in Africa at the patriarchate’s headquarters in the Cairo district of Kūbrī al-Qubba.
The meeting was attended by the Patriarch Deputy for...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 8 Dec 2023
The Grand Muftī of Egypt, Dr. Shawqī ʿAllām, asserted that verification is the first step in the sound extrapolation of legal rulings in Islam, particularly concerning the Prophet Muḥammad’s Sunna (tradition). However, in the case of the Qurʾān, there is absolute definitive sourcing and meaning...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 6 Dec 2023
The Sharīʿa & Law Faculty at al-Azhar University in the city of Ṭanṭā recently hosted a symposium focused on raising awareness among students regarding the importance of participating in the forthcoming presidential election.
Dr. Ḥamdī Saʿd, the dean of the faculty, said that participation in...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 10 Dec 2023
The former Grand Muftī, Dr. ʿAlī Gomʿa, remarked that there is no clear indication in the Sharīʿa specifying a particular type of prayer through which Muslims can witness the Prophet Muḥammad in their dreams. He added that if someone claims to have prayed two rakʿas (prostrations) and afterwards...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 9 Dec 2023
On the first day of the Coptic calendar month of Kiahk, which marks the beginning of the countdown for the Eastern Christmas scheduled for January 7, the Coptic Orthodox Church experiences intense activity.
The Jirjā Parish organized its monthly Parish Servants conference under the title "...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 7 Dec 2023
Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ṣūfī Orders, Dr. ʿAbd al-Hādī al-Qaṣabī, expressed his support for the presidential candidate, ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ al-Sīsī, in the upcoming presidential election.
Dr. Qaṣabī emphasized that while the people of Ṣūfī orders are not inherently involved in politics, their...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 30 Nov 2023
Geert Wilders, the controversial Dutch politician known for his extremist views, recently expressed his anger towards the Palestinians, calling for their expulsion from their own country or their relocation to Jordan.
This inciteful political figure has always been known for his animosity towards...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 1 Dec 2023
The Minister of Water Resources & Irrigation, Hānī Sūwaylam, emphasized that climate change has had a harmful impact on the water sector in many countries of the world, particularly in Egypt, where the per capita share is nearing a state of water scarcity.
“These impacts also affect countries...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 3 Dec 2023
The Grand Imām of al-Azhar and the Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyīb, sent a message to Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church, wishing him good health and a speedy recovery. Dr. al-Ṭayyīb also expressed great respect for the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 30 Nov 2023
Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sāmiḥ Shukrī, emphasized the importance of developing countries to actively participate in addressing the challenges of climate change, drawing attention to the need for intensified efforts in decarbonization. Shukrī delivered these remarks during his speech at the 2023...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 2 Dec 2023
Although unable to attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates due to lung inflammation, Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church urged the conference to pursue a breakthrough to stop the phenomenon of global warming, emphasizing the urgency of...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 1 Dec 2023
King ʿAbdullāh II of Jordan stated that climate change is exacerbating the challenges faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where hostilities between Israel and Ḥamās resumed on Friday after the expiry of a weeklong truce.
“We cannot discuss climate change without considering the human tragedies...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 22 Nov 2023
Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism said in an article that when one takes a simple look at the current global incidents and makes a comparison between the terrorist activities around the world and the activities of the Israeli army, one can detect a great similarity between Zionist...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 25 Nov 2023
The Egypt Council of Churches dedicated a day to pray for world peace, as the Archbishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria, Dr. Sāmī Fawzī, said the word of God fills men’s hearts with peace at all times.
Dr. Fawzī cited a verse from the Holy Book, saying “Come to Me, all you who...
Reviewed by ʿAmr al-Misrī
Translator ʿAmr al-Misrī
Date of source: 2 Dec 2023
Today (Saturday), the governor of Alexandria, Major General Muḥammad al-Sharīf, and Pope Tawāḍrūs opened the new Anbā Tiklā Hospital.
During the opening, the governor praised all the services that the hospital provides, explaining that since the hospital’s establishment, it has been keen to provide...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
Date of source: 4 Dec 2023
The deputy imām of al-Azhar, Dr. Muḥammad al-Ḍūwaynī, said that it is strange for us to talk about human beings in an era that is lacking in humanity, or to talk about structure in a time when gangs are spreading sabotage and destruction, adding that, “The humanity that is claimed by Western...
Reviewed by Nuhā Ḥurayba
Translator Nuhā Ḥurayba
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Emerging Perspectives on Intercultural and Interreligious Relations
Dialogue Across Borders is a database of summary translations of Arabic newspaper articles with references to their sources about intercultural and interreligious relations, focusing primarily but not exclusively on Muslim-Christian relations. The database also contains articles with editorial analysis and interviews on the subject.