As a researcher, I do not have any relations of interest with the Sheikhs of Al-Azhar, including the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, but I want to contribute in the debate that arose in the media and talk-shows against the backdrop of the last terrorist attacks on the St. George and St. Mark Churches in Egypt.
Some people from the elites blame the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar of not taking serious actions in dealing with these terrorist attacks and say that he was supposed to do a lot of things about it, such as holding an international press conference to announce the innocence of Islam from these terrorist attacks and to charge the true perpetrators, sponsors, and planners.
I recognized that the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar was on a mission abroad at the time of the attacks. Al-Azhar sent a representative delegation to express their sympathy to the churches and has issued a strong and clear statement condemning the despicable terrorist bombing. The statement stressed that it is religiously forbidden to attack innocent people and that this grievous attack is against all human and moral values. Many positions were included in the statement which was published on various websites.
The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar paid a visit to the Vatican and spoke with Pope Francis. They agreed to hold a peace conference during the Pope’s historic visit to Egypt at the end of April.
The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar tries his best to defend Islam and Muslims in the face of a fierce attack; however, he always faces many accusations and defamatory campaigns. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb headed a conference called Towards a Humanitarian Civilized Dialogue in Support of the Citizens of Myanmar, which was organized by the Muslim Council of Elders to call for peace between the parties in the conflict in the state of Rakhine, which is inhabited by the Muslim Rohingya minority. At this conference Dr. Tayeb said that “Buddhism is a religion of ethics and humanity in the first place, and that the Buddha, this quiet wise man, was one of the greatest figures in the history of humanity, and that calm and rationality were his most prominent qualities.” He added “senior historians of religions in the world describe his message as a religion of infinite mercy, and he was a peaceful and humble person, and that his commandments stressed being loving and good to others.” His call for human coexistence reflects a deep understanding of Islam. Nonetheless, some people did not like that and accused the Grand Sheikh of negligence or even apostasy.
These people claimed that Dr. el-Tayeb considered Buddhism a “religion”, and that this was a violation of the teachings of Islam. These ignorant forgot that Dr. el-Tayeb is not only the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar but he is also a professor of philosophy of religions, and that he is fully aware of what he says. Dr. el-Tayeb stated that Buddhism is a religion of humanity. What is wrong about that?
The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar stresses that Islam accepts the other, guarantees the freedom of religion, and rejects fanaticism and hatred. Terrorist organizations that claim to defend Islam do not accept the perspective of the Grand Sheikh, and it is obvious that the hit list of Daesh includes The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar. In fact, Daesh called on its supporters in Egypt to engage in a so-called Operation Predatory Wolves to assassinate some figures, such as Dr. el-Tayeb. The positions of the Grand Sheikh are not accepted by Liberals and advocates of freedom, who want him to fall into the trap of takfīr with respect to Daesh members, a practice followed by Daesh itself.
If the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar declares terrorist organizations as kafirs that should be killed, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif would not be that different from Daesh and Al-Qaeda, and Muslim scholars would be comparable to Baghdadi, Zawahiri and others terror leaders.
The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar was both accused of negligence—sometimes by extremists and terrorists—and of not carrying out his responsibilities towards countering terrorism.
I understand that it is a huge responsibility for a person who holds such a position. But the fight against terrorism will not be achieved through a global conference to declare Islam’s innocence from terrorism. Does Islam need a declaration of innocence? Wouldn’t that imply that terrorism is the other face of Islam?
It is clear in this futile debate that Dr. Ahmad el-Tayeb is trying to re-establish the channels of dialogue with the Vatican after many years of estrangement and even strained relations between the two sides. Dr. el-Tayeb explicitly stressed, during the Pope’s meeting in the Vatican, that “we need joint positions that contribute to human strive, because religions are supposed to make people happy and content.” These are words that reflect a deep understanding and a civilized vision that the world needs. But some extremists, both from the right and the left, do not like such words.
The attack on Al-Azhar and its Grand Sheikh serves terrorist organizations, supporting their positions and in the same time weakening the position of moderate religious institutions at a time when the Islamic world is in dire need of them.
