His Eminence the Grand Imam (GI) of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad al-Tayyeb, received today, Thursday, at Al-Azhar, Mrs. Ysset Román Maldonado, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Egypt.

 

His Eminence expressed Al-Azhar’s appreciation for the Dominican Republic’s fair and supportive stance towards the rights of innocent Palestinians, its vote in favor of full membership for the State of Palestine in the United Nations at the most recent General Assembly meeting, and its rejection of the unjust aggression on Gaza. His Eminence pointed out the need for intensifying international pressure for an immediate halt to the aggression on Gaza and Lebanon, and to hold its perpetrators accountable.

 

His Eminence decided to allocate a number of scholarships for the Muslim youth in the Dominican Republic to study at Al-Azhar, in appreciation of their supportive stance towards the rights of the Palestinian people, and to host Dominican imams to train them at  Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams, Preachers, and Fatwa Researchers to hone their skills in dealing with various contemporary issues. He also affirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to establish a center for teaching the Arabic language in the Dominican Republic.

 

The Dominican Ambassador affirmed her country's appreciation for the efforts of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in spreading world peace and the culture of brotherhood and tolerance. She noted that the Dominican Republic, which has a large number of mosques and Muslim citizens enjoying their full rights, seeks to spread the values of tolerance and brotherhood. She added that the Dominican Republic is keen to confront the phenomenon of Islamophobia, and supports the UN decision to allocate an international day to confront Islamophobia and hostility towards Muslims. The Ambassador also affirmed her country's keenness to participate periodically and effectively in meetings and conferences that call for interfaith dialogue.