Muhammad ‘Abd al-Shakūr writes about the Azhar University and its need for change, starting with its syllabus.

Ahmad ‘Abd al-Rahīm al-Sāyih, Professor of philosophy and Islamic studies, says that the Azhar needs to be protected from Wahābī, Muslim Brotherhood, and Salafī ideologies.

Conflict of opinion also exists about whether the Grand Imām of the Azhar should be elected or appointed, as happens currently.

Shaykh Yūsuf al-Badrī points out that it was the government who took over Azhar's endowments, weakening its budget.

Meanwhile, ‘Abd al-Fattāh 'Asākir, an Islamic thinker, says that the general status of Muslims was better off before the Azhar was established.