On Monday, February 24th, several CAWU staff and interns joined a field visit to the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) and the Dār al-Iftāʾ organized by the Centre for Christian-Muslim Understanding and Partnership in Cairo. Both organizations exist close to the institutional heart of Egyptian Islam and play a significant role in shaping global perspectives. Our delegation included diplomatic staff from Germany, India, Bulgaria, New Zealand, and Singapore, as well as interns, students, and pastors from several other countries. 

(The Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism)

Our AOCE visit began with an introduction to the work of the centre presented by its director, Dr. Riḥām Salāmah. The observatory was founded in 2015 by H.E. al-Azhar Grand Imām Dr. Aḥmed al-Ṭayyib as a critical resource for responding to the actions and assertions of terrorist groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) which at that time was rampaging across Iraq and Syria. The organization employs expert teams in sixteen languages who work to effectively respond to extremist distortions of Islam while also tracking Islamophobic currents and hate speech against Muslims. 

(An audience with the Grand Mufti of Egypt, H.E. Dr. Naẓīr ʿAyāḍ.)

Following the AOCE visit, we walked across the street to the Dār al-Iftāʾ for an audience with the Grand Mufti of Egypt, H.E. Dr. Naẓīr ʿAyād. Led by the Grand Mufti, the Dār al-Iftāʾ is the most senior institution in Egypt dedicated to providing legal guidance for Muslims on questions on Islamic law. Muslims from Egypt or elsewhere may have questions about basic matters like the proper way to practice ritual prayer or fasting or more complex issues, for example, related to bioethics or modern financial institutions. In response to such inquiries, the Dār al-Iftāʾ issues thousands of fatwas (i.e. legal opinions) every year. Contrary to a common misunderstanding, a fatwa is a non-binding legal opinion. It represents the considered opinion of an expert jurist or jurists but functions more at the level of authoritative guidance than as a binding legal obligation. 

It was a significant privilege for us to have a closer look at the way these two important institutions operate. Our group left inspired after meeting a variety of Muslim scholars, both men and women, serving Egyptian society and the broader region in these important ways. I would like to express my gratitude to H.E. Grand Mufti Dr. Naẓīr ʿAyāḍ, AOCE Director Dr. Riḥām Salāmah, and Anglican/Epsicopal Archbishop Emeritus Dr. Mouneer Anis for their generous help in arranging these visits.

Matthew Anderson

Director - Center for Arab-West Understanding

Executive Editor - Dialogue Across Borders (Brill)

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February 26, 2025