We are ready to increase training courses for Burkina Faso imams at Al-Azhar Academy and hone their skills in refuting extremist thought, the Grand Imam

 

Training our imams at Al-Azhar has a great impact and we now have open-minded imams who represent a model to be emulated in tolerance and moderation, Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister

 

Al-Azhar Grand Imam (GI), Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, received today, Thursday, at Al-Azhar HQ, HE Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, the Burkinabe Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss ways to enhance cooperation.

 

His Eminence the Grand Imam welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso and his accompanying delegation to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, stressing Al-Azhar’s pride in its historical relations with Burkina Faso and its awareness of the seriousness of the contemporary challenges it faces. He pointed out Al-Azhar’s readiness to support Burkina Faso in refuting the ideology of extremist groups, based on the belief that the real confrontation with extremism is primarily an intellectual confrontation.

 

His Eminence pointed out Al-Azhar’s readiness to support Burkina Faso by increasing training courses for Burkinabe imams and preachers at Al-Azhar Academy for Training Imams, Preachers and Fatwa Researchers and honing their skills in refuting the arguments of extremist groups, in addition to increasing the number of scholarships allocated to Burkinabe people to join Al-Azhar University, and establishing a center for teaching the Arabic language in Burkina Faso, in a way that meets the needs of the Burkinabe people and enhances their capabilities in facing internal challenges.

 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso stressed his appreciation for the efforts made by Al-Azhar in supporting the African peoples, especially Burkina Faso, pointing out that Al-Azhar has had a tangible impact on Burkinabe society, by hosting Burkinabe imams and training them at the Al-Azhar International Academy for Training Imams and Preachers. He added: "we have noticed a great development, especially in the discourse language of these imams in confronting deviant thought, and we now have open-minded imams who deliver a moderate discourse and represent a model to be emulated in tolerance and moderation. They protect young people from the dangers of extremist groups’ ideology."