His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, received Mr. Tom Ardimi, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Vocational Training of Chad, to discuss ways to enhance scientific and dawah relations.

The Grand Imam said that Al-Azhar is proud of its strong historical relations with Chad, noting that 500 Chadian students are studying at Al-Azhar in various educational stages and in various fields of Islamic and Arabic studies, in addition to medicine, pharmacy, engineering, sciences, and agriculture. Al-Azhar provides 50 comprehensive scholarships for the youth of Chad to study at Al-Azhar. He added that there are three institutes under the supervision of Al-Azhar, which have 57 emissaries and teachers from Al-Azhar, in addition to two centers for teaching the Arabic language that Al-Azhar recently established to serve the youth of Chad in learning the language of the Holy Quran.

His Eminence affirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to increase the scholarships allocated to Chadian students, and to host new delegations of imams for training at Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams and Preachers. The imams are trained to refine their preaching skills in refuting the arguments of extremist groups that attempt to distort the image of Islam, especially with regard to issues of coexistence, women’s rights in Islam, and other contemporary issues.

The Chadian Minister, for his part, expressed his happiness at visiting His Eminence the Grand Imam, and the pride of the Chadian people in Al-Azhar Al-Sharif as a religious authority and a towering scientific beacon. He also stated his country’s appreciation for the great support that Al-Azhar provides to the people of the African continent, especially Chad, represented in the comprehensive scholarships for Al-Azhar envoys to Chad who spread knowledge and the moderate Azhari approach, the training of Chadian imams and preachers, and the medical and dawah convoys that Al-Azhar sends in support of the people of Chad.