Grand Imam Addresses Climate Change at Sustainable Development Conf.

Al Azhar Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb addressed the Climate Change issue and its relation to religion at the 3rd international conference on environment and sustainable development on Saturday.

Al-Tayeb recalled the speech of Muhammad Mustafa al-Maraghi, rector of Al-Azhar, to the World Congress of Faiths, held in London back in 1936.

In his opening speech, Al-Tayeb said: “Azhar University Conference on Climate Change reminds us of Sheikh Al Maraghi’s speech to the World Congress of Faiths, entitled: ‘Human Fraternity and Global Fellowship’.”

In the same vein, Al-Tayeb affirmed that the only way to go through this issue is adherence to religion, refuting any beliefs that say religion is the downfall of civilization.

“The religious feeling is strong and influential in leading humanity towards the harbor of peace, justice, and equality," he said, adding that all the types of atheism drive the corruption of human society.

Moreover, the Grand Imam asserted that religion is not what leads to any of these tragedies, clarifying that there are people who use it in misleading others in order to achieve malicious and cunning purposes, which the religion itself rejects and denies.

Notably, the conference, entitled “Climate Change: Challenges and Confrontation”, is held under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi with the participation of experts from all over the world as well as Mohamed Abou El Enein, Deputy Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament.