His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Ambassador Moshira Khattab, candidate of Egypt and the African Union to the post of UNESCO Director-General. Ambassador Khattab was accompanied by Ambassador Mohamed Al-Orabi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of the Parliament, who is currently heading a campaign to support the Egyptian nomination of Ambassador Khattab for this high international post. During the meeting, the Grand Imam affirmed that Ambassador Khattab is worthy of assuming this high international post, given that it is the first time an Arab woman with such level of experience be nominated for the post. He noted that such is a golden opportunity to highlight the culture of this ancient region and its rich civilization to the world, especially in relation to women rights. According to the Grand Imam, this is an opportunity to introduce the culture of the East to the world and how it promotes peace and coexistence among all people.

Ambassador Khattab expressed her deep appreciation for the role of Al-Azhar in promoting the teachings of moderate Islam to confront the forces of extremism and terrorism. She explained that education is the main pillar through which we can combat these obscurantist forces that threaten this region and the whole world.