Al Azhar University rejects charges of extremism

April 20, 2017

Al Azhar University, which will host Pope Francis later this month, has rejected charges by Egyptian politicians that the school tolerates Islamic extremism.

The Supreme Council of Al Azhar—which is regarded as the world’s leading institution of Sunni Islamic thought—issued a statement denying that the school allows the promotion of jihadist ideology, and said that violence is contrary to the spirit of Islam. The council proclaimed that “shari’a prohibits every kind of assault against human beings, regardless of their religion and belief.”

Al Azhar has organized an International Peace Conference for late April, at which Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople will speak.

 

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Further information:

• Al Azhar University rejects allegations of extremism: Islam also defends churches (Fides)