Al-Azhar Grand Imam Receives Gambian Foreign Minister to Discuss Expanding Educational, Religious Cooperation
Dr. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, received Mamadou Tangara, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gambia, at Al-Azhar headquarters to discuss ways of boosting Al-Azhar's religious and educational support for Gambian students and communities.
During the meeting, the Grand Imam reaffirmed the deep-rooted relations between Al-Azhar and Gambia and expressed Al-Azhar's readiness to increase scholarships for Gambian students to study at Al-Azhar in alignment with the country's societal needs.
He also pledged to train Gambian imams at Al-Azhar's International Academy for Training Imams and Preachers to equip them with the skills necessary to address contemporary issues, including Islam's stance on coexistence, women's rights, and confronting extremist distortions of Islamic teachings.
The Grand Imam emphasized that 'the Palestinian people are enduring the worst genocide and ethnic cleansing for nearly two years, abandoned to face their fate amid an unprecedented international failure and a deeply weakened global response.'
He added, 'The Zionist entity has committed horrific massacres in modern history, killing innocent children, women, the elderly, and youth, and destroying hospitals, mosques, churches, and schools. This entity has shown itself to be utterly against humanity.'
For his part, Minister Tangara expressed his pleasure in meeting the Grand Imam and commended Al-Azhar's efforts in promoting the true image of Islam and supporting Gambian students.
He remarked, 'We appreciate your generous support to our students at Al-Azhar and to our country through the Al-Azhar Arabic Language Center in Gambia, from which 60 students have already graduated.'
He further noted that many Gambians aspire to study at Al-Azhar due to its esteemed position among the Gambian people.
He praised the wisdom of the Grand Imam and his global leadership in promoting Islam's moderate principles, adding, 'You may consider me Al-Azhar's ambassador in Gambia and within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which we currently chair. We are grateful for your support and the proposal to train Gambian imams at Al-Azhar, and I will personally follow up on this initiative upon returning to my country.'
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