Delivering the keynote address at the opening of the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, called for the development of an actionable and comprehensive Arab media strategy—one that defends truth, upholds values, articulates the concerns of the Arab and Muslim worlds, and preserves cultural and spiritual identity.
He warned of the dangers posed by digital platforms that manipulate young people’s emotions, disconnect them from the realities of their Ummah, and blur the boundaries between virtue and vice, all while promoting misleading slogans such as progress, openness, and modernity.
He extended his sincere gratitude to the United Arab Emirates and to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, as well as to the Dubai Press Club, for organizing this landmark media forum. Now approaching a quarter of a century since its launch, the Arab Media Summit has become a prominent platform for dialogue in the Arab and Islamic media landscape.
He commended the forum’s focus on the role of Arab media in navigating the complex ethical challenges of our time amid a rapidly changing world marked by technological advances and compounding humanitarian and ethical crises.
The Grand Imam added: “We, Arabs and Muslims, have long endured media narratives and reports crafted to distort our image in the minds of the West. These portrayals have repeatedly linked Islam to violence, extremism, and the oppression of women—falsely depicting it not as a religion or civilization, but as a radical movement or political ideology that incites hatred, violence, and rebellion against the global order.” He emphasized that Western media has led the way in promoting these falsehoods and continues to do so.
His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders expressed his deep regret that many of the misleading and distorted media portrayals have found their way into our own societies. These false images have had profoundly negative and disorienting effects on Arab media discourse.
He noted that certain individuals from within our own communities have excelled in promoting a counterfeit culture—one preoccupied with criticizing everything of Arab origin or Islamic thought and orientation. This has only intensified the challenges we face today, foremost among them the widening gap between our contemporary consciousness and a heritage that, until recently, stood as one of the greatest sources of our pride, dignity, and resilience in the face of those seeking to undermine the past and present of this Ummah.
Regarding the media’s coverage of the aggression on Gaza, He affirmed that no just observer—whether in the East or the West—can deny that the cause which should take center stage in Arab media coverage is the tragedy of Gaza: the wars and devastation it has endured, along with the horrific violations that have accompanied it—violations that have been, and continue to be, denounced and condemned by people of conscience around the world for nineteen consecutive months.
He stressed that Arab media carries a historic responsibility to continuously highlight the suffering of the rightful owners of the land, to showcase the resilience of this steadfast people and their unwavering connection to their homeland, and to keep the Palestinian cause alive in the hearts and minds of people across the world.
The Grand Imam also welcomed the shift in the positions of many European Union countries regarding the ongoing events in Gaza, commending the awakening of their noble human conscience.
He likewise praised the steadfast Arab stance in confronting the machinery of aggression and calling for an immediate ceasefire and the facilitation of humanitarian and relief aid, despite the obstinance of the occupying force. His Eminence concluded by saluting all the free voices around the world who recognize what is unfolding as a grave humanitarian crime that must be brought to an immediate end.
On the rising issue of Islamophobia, He called for intensified media efforts to confront this illegitimate phenomenon. He noted:
“Islamophobia is no more than a delusion—a pathological fantasy crafted to malign Islam and discredit its principles of peace and coexistence.” He emphasized that Islam enshrines the rights of human beings, animals, and the environment—rights that are unmatched in many contemporary legal and political systems.
He asserted that the tragedy unfolding in Gaza has exposed the double standards of those who once boasted of such values while accusing us of lacking them.
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