Shaykh Ahmad al-Tayyib, Grand Imām of the Azhar, discusses several current issues facing Egyptians.
Regarding laws on church construction, al-Tayyib says that if people believe the laws for building mosques and churches are not equal, then the media will highlight this issue. However, he states that churches receive more endowments than do mosques.
Commenting about recent incidents between Muslims and Christians, he said that it is "a social problem, not a sectarian one," insisting that conflicts can happen between Muslims, as well.
Al-Tayyib also restated that Egypt is an Islamic country and reflects the country’s social identity, but that Egyptians "must differentiate between a civil Islamic country and a religious one.”
The shaykh also confirmed that he and Pope Shenouda are on good terms. However, he wonders why Christians and Muslims so often get into disputes when such incidents go against both Islam and Christianity.
