Al Azhar Supports a Civil State

In a shocking and impressive statement, Al Azhar has officially announced its support of a civil state on June 20. Crafted after thorough research and discussions by a group of thinkers and experts from various disciplines in addition to leaders at Al Azhar, the statement confirmed the importance of a constitutional, democratic, modern and mostly civil state in the upcoming period..   Sheikh Al Azhar Ahmed El Tayeb commented that Islam doesn’t recognize an Islamic state, nor does it have the term in its legislation, history or civilization. The statement also stressed on the importance of religious freedom for the three official religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This includes freedom to practice those religions, build religious establishments and choose one’s own religion.