CAIRO – 9 October 2017: Religious authorities continue efforts to renew religious discourse, purify it from wrong beliefs and eliminate extremist ideology.
This came after President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s calls to Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb to renew religious discourse to provide the true message of peace and tolerance in Islam.
Moderation, intellectuality and logic will always remain the main features of Al-Azhar's message, which represents the right form of Islam, said Al-Tayeb.
For his part, Al-Tayeb indicated connections with various global intellectual and religious organizations to face extremism and violence.
Cooperation with these organizations aims to underscore the significance of respecting pluralism of religion and ideologies, Al-Tayeb said.
In addition, the Fatwa Observatory, which is a part of Dar Al-Iftaa — a religious institution in Egypt founded to become the international flagship for Islamic research and to review religious edicts in light of contemporary life — aims to address the phenomenon of “takfiri fatwas” (unrecognized edicts often issued by extremist groups) and to monitor local and international media outlets.
In the same context, the Grand Mufti of Egypt will hold an international conference entitled “The role of fatwa in stabilizing society and achieving prosperity” with delegations from 50 countries from October 17-19, 2017.
Egypt Grand Mufti holds an international conference to fight extremism and terrorism - facbookpage
“President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s sponsorship of Egypt's Dar al-Iftaa’s upcoming international conference reflects his Excellency’s commitment to supporting any event that resolves societal issues on all levels,” said Senior Adviser to the Grand Mufti Dr. Ibrahim Negm.
President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi meets with Al Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed el Tayyeb on Tuesday, Cairo- REUTERS
In addition, it reflects his response to specific religious issues that contribute to stabilizing society and achieving prosperity, he added.
Dr. Negm stated that the conference will manifest how contemporary fatwa issuance can correct and refine current reality, explore the mechanisms of issuing scholarly based fatwas, as well as the relevance of fatwas to political, economic and social life.
He pointed out that the conference aims at clarifying the relationship between politics and fatwas, especially since fatwas have been thrust into the political domain.
Dr. Negm concluded that the conference tries to present innovative solutions to address the debate on institutionalizing and regulating fatwa issuance.
Also, Al-Azhar and Dar al-Iftaa have launched an English magazine addressing the false image of Islam portrayed abroad, and they have sent delegates on tours across Europe to monitor radical edicts by official observatory bodies.
There was another initiative launched as a means to participate in renew religious discourse and filter it from radical thoughts through direct contact with citizens.
This initiative is known in the media as “Fatwa Kiosks”, established in July 17 by Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy in cooperation with the Cairo Metro Authority.
Fatwa Booth at Cairo Metro Station - REUTERS
Such an initiative is regarded as one of the announced efforts in Egypt to counter extremism through simplifying religious messages for the public and reaching more citizens.
For its part, the Ministry of Religious Endowments is setting up camps for imams of the Suez Canal area, including the governorates of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, to eliminate extremist ideology and spread the tolerance of Islam from October 18-20.
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