Al-Azhar Grand Imam Heads to Bahrain to Participate in Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference

Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, traveled to the Kingdom of Bahrain today, to participate in the Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference. 

This event, themed "One Nation, One Shared Destiny," will take place on the 19th and 20th of February. The conference, held under the generous patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, is co-organized by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Bahrain, and the Muslim Council of Elders, and will feature over 400 prominent scholars, leaders, Islamic authorities, and intellectuals from around the globe.

This conference comes in response to an invitation from the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif during the Bahrain Dialogue Forum in November 2022, to enhance Islamic affairs and the unity of Muslims. 

During his visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Eminence is scheduled to meet with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and a number of Bahraini officials and scholars participating in the conference; aiming to enhance Islamic cooperation and take actual steps to unify the Islamic Ummah and achieve convergence among institutions and scholars from various Islamic schools of thought.

His Eminence is set to deliver a keynote address at the conference’s opening, emphasizing the necessity for unity among the Ummah in addressing its contemporary challenges.

 The conference endeavors to shift from a discourse of mere convergence to a deeper understanding of shared challenges and commonalities. It aims to establish a permanent framework for scholarly dialogue among Islamic world scholars and authorities. 

The focus will be on highlighting extensive areas of agreement among Muslims, strategizing on how to approach these consensuses as a foundation for dialogue among various Islamic sects, enhancing the roles of scholars and religious leaders in mending divisions between different sects, denouncing hate speech, and promoting mutual understanding and respect.