The Grand Shaykh of the Azhar Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyīb, has recommended a delegation of the Anglican Church from the United States to speak of the return to good morals during their sermons.
The Grand Shaykh discussed the Azhar’s rejection of imposing a certain doctrine through power or through exploitation of needs, something that has happened throughout history.
Al-Tayyīb also spoke about the relations between Islam and Christianity in Egypt. He said that Egyptians respect all three monolithic religions and that people are free to practice any one of these religions in Egypt. The Azhar insisted that this was taken up in the new constitution because the acceptance of other monolithic religions and the freedom to practice them is part of Islamic teaching.
According to Pastor Imīl Zakī of the Egyptian Anglican Church, Christians in Egypt enjoy full rights of citizenship and there is no difference between Muslims and Christians in rights and duties.
Finally, al-Tayyīb explained that he does not believe in dialogue between religions as dogmas, but rather in dialogue between the followers of religion about how they can co-exist. His advice to the followers of Islam and Christianity is to collaborate in order to achieve a psychological and spiritual balance (Lū’ay ‘Alī, al-Yawm al-Sābī, Mar. 12, p. 3). Read original text in Arabic.
