His Eminence, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, Al-Azhar Grand Imam, received today, at Al-Azhar Headquarters, Ms. Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, to discuss ways of cooperation and the most prominent global issues of common concern.
His Eminence, the Grand Imam, said that today the world is in dire need of the voice of religion, which some are trying to muffle and exclude from people's lives. His Eminence added that because of overemphasizing the materialistic view, and the deification of human desires and the pursuit of their satisfaction, the world has gained nothing but more wars, conflicts and bloodshed.
His Eminence emphasized that the term ‘freedoms’ is misused a lot by the West, which employs it to impose some Western visions and customs on our Eastern and Arab culture, such as the normalization of homosexuality through media channels directed to our Arab region and the Middle East in general. The West attempts to impose it as a law and reality. These behavior patterns and crimes that are inconsistent with the teachings of religions and human instinct and upset the balance of the universe and God’s way in His creation ignore the rights of humanity, children and the family. At this point, it is necessary to put an end to this renewed form of intellectual and cultural colonialism!
Al-Azhar Grand Imam stressed that the adherence of the Muslims and the people of the East to the values of religion and morals is an integral part of their personality and identity, which they cherish and value well. He pointed out that it is not acceptable to offend others, transgress on their sanctities and insult religious symbols in the name of freedom of expression. His Eminence also stressed that he relies a lot on the voice of the wise and the elders and those who still have a human sense towards just causes. He said we need to lift man out of his tragedies and pains, and deal with the Eastern person as a complete human being, just like the Westerner, and that the peoples of the East deserve to live a much better life. His Eminence wondered, “Is there any hope that these humanitarian tragedies will end one day?”
His Eminence touched on the dangers of illegal immigration, stressing that if we want a radical solution to this phenomenon, we must study its real causes, and find out the motives that compel these young people, especially the Africans, to leave their countries and migrate to an uncertain and unknown future. We must pay attention to the African continent - the continent of gold and wealth - whose bounties have been looted and sources seized till now. We must extend a helping hand to the people of this continent and help them rise and work. Only then, we may find that some Western people migrate to Africa and not the other way around!
The Danish Prime Minister, for her part, expressed her appreciation for the efforts made by Al-Azhar Grand Imam to promote the values of human brotherhood, world peace and coexistence among people. She stressed that her country is keen to guarantee the right to difference, and that it pays great attention to consolidating communication between the East and West, and deepening friendship between Eastern and Western peoples. She said that she shares the same view with Al-Azhar Grand Imam regarding the danger of illegal immigration, and that Egypt is an important partner that plays an active role in combatting this phenomenon. She added that these challenges need concerted efforts to face them and make a real achievement on the ground.
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