CAIRO: The grand imam of Al-Azhar has praised the chief of the United Nations for his strong support to the Palestinians in war-hit Gaza and promoting justice.
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, who is also chair of the Muslim Council of Elders, said this during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The commissioner-general of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, and the UN’s resident coordinator in Egypt, Elena Panova, were also present at the meeting.
Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, with headquarters in Cairo, is Sunni Islam’s oldest seat of learning.
The sheikh lauded Guterres for issuing a warning to the world about the dangers of Israel’s brutality in Gaza and for the work of UNRWA in sending aid to Palestinians forced to leave their homes.
He told Guterres that professors, students, scholars and affiliates, support his stances on Palestine and will not stop their support for the people of Palestine.
Al-Tayeb said the world was heading in the wrong direction without moral guidelines and humanitarian principles.
He added that recent developments in Gaza threatened to undermine attempts of communication and rapprochement between East and West.
The scholar said, many ordinary people in the world, including US and other Western countries, including members of the Jewish community, had stressed for an end to the fighting in Gaza.
Guterres in his remarks appreciated Al-Azhar Al-Sharif as a strong voice defending and supporting the people of Palestine.
He added in countries like Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine and some parts of Africa, the world is witnessing unprecedented violence and hatred.
Since October 7, Israel’s air and ground offensive into Gaza has resulted in the killing of at least 32,333 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and 74,694 injuries, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
