Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO), Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, met with the Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar religious institution, Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, who is also on a visit to Italy, within the framework of his trip to the country.
During the meeting, Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb stated that Azerbaijan is a very good example for the Muslim Council of Elders, as well as for the entire Islamic world, in terms of both inter-sectarian unity and inter-religious harmony and accord. He noted that, for this reason, Azerbaijan is always in the focus of attention of Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders.
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade stated that the document “A Call to the People of the Qibla,” adopted at the conclusion of the Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference held in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, in February this year, has been published in book form in 4 languages by the Caucasus Muslims Office. He presented several copies of the books to Ahmed Al-Tayyeb.
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar accepted the publications with pleasure and gratitude, stating that Azerbaijan leads and is an example in the matter of inter-sectarian unity.
It was noted that by being published in Azerbaijani, Arabic, English, and Russian, the book aims to disseminate this document in the Caucasus region, Central Asia, the CIS, and globally. This work is being carried out by the Caucasus Muslims Office, particularly through Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade. The CMO chairman recently presented these books to religious figures and public representatives during his visit to the USA.
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade brought to the attention of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb that, on the eve of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit, which Azerbaijan will host next year, the Caucasus Muslims Office and the Muslim Council of Elders, with the participation of other organizations, will co-organize the next conference of religious leaders from various countries. Intra-Islamic dialogue and the fight against Islamophobia will be the main topics of discussion at the conference.
It was reported that Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade invited United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and UN Under-Secretary-General Miguel Ángel Moratinos to this conference.
Al-Azhar Sheikh, in turn, reaffirmed the proposal for co-organizing the conference and expressed his consent, noting his intention to personally participate in the event. He emphasized his great admiration for Azerbaijan and personally for President Ilham Aliyev, stating that he eagerly looks forward to visiting our country again.
Ahmed Al-Tayyeb said that it is very important for him that the President of Azerbaijan gives his blessing to the holding of this conference, and that he highly values and deeply respects our head of state, Ilham Aliyev, among world leaders.
It was emphasized during the meeting that organizational work for the conference will commence in the coming months by the CMO and the Muslim Council of Elders. The parties also gladly highlighted the successful continuation of cooperation between the two religious institutions and exchanged views on future plans.
It should be noted that when drafting the document “A Call to the People of the Qibla,” Azerbaijan's model of inter-sectarian and inter-religious unity and understanding, as a multicultural country, was taken as an example.