CAIRO: During his meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in London Wednesday, Egypt’s Al-Azhar Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb reiterated the necessity to overcome “terrorism” that faces the region in the name of the religion.
Both religious figures agreed on demonstrating that religion promotes tolerance and social justice, and concerting efforts to counter extremism and materialism, according to a joint statement published on the Archbishop of Canterbury official website.
In Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Tayeb met with a number of British students, inviting them to visit the Egyptian archaeological sites.
“Al-Azhar has never taught flawed curricula…if that existed, you would have found al-Azhar scholars leading terrorism in the world,” said Tayeb in an interview with BBC Arabic.
Tayeb meeting comes in light of an agreement signed between the Anglican Communion and Al-Azhar following the 9/11 attacks; hereby, mutual meetings shall be held between Cairo and Canterbury.
“Both parties committed themselves to maintain this dialogue and a delegation will be going from the Anglican Communion for a session in Cairo in December 2015,” the statement read.
Tayeb delivered a speech at the Christian-Islamic Forum in Italy’s Florence before his three-day visit to London.