Cairo – Ashraf Abo Arafe
Minister of State and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Undersecretary of Al-Azhar Saleh Abbas Saleh, which aims to strengthen the ongoing cooperation between UK and Al-Azhar.
The Al-Azhar MOU will enable positive religious voices and leadership in Egypt and the world. Building on Al-Azhar’s historic role at the heart of Islamic learning and the British Council’s longstanding work in English Language training at Al-Azhar and across Egypt, the Religious Studies Scholarship renews and deepens the UK and Egypt’s partnership for the 21st century.
The Minister also announced the funding of Her Majesty’s Government for a UK-Al-Azhar scholarship for the academic year 2019/2020. The scholarship allows Al-Azhar students to pursue their dreams of completing PhDs in the UK’s leading universities.
The British Minister also participated in an engaging interfaith dialogue with Muslim and Christian leaders, aiming to bridge cultural gaps and open the doors to multicultural religious discussions.
Minister of State and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said: “I am pleased that the UK and Al-Azhar are taking their partnership forward. With this MOU, the UK renews its commitment to this country’s future leaders and invest in tomorrow’s generations, who will play an active role in building their country.”
British Ambassador to Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams said: “The UK is proud to support Al-Azhar’s historical role in educating young religious leaders who aim to spread the humanitarian values of peace and tolerance, and to combat the evil of terrorism.”
Elizabeth White, director of the British Council in Egypt, said: “We are proud of our partnership with Al-Azhar which has been running for more than ten years – indeed we were even teaching at the institution in the 1940s. By engaging with this prestigious Islamic institution we can help its students engage in global conversations about Islam and religion through the use of the English language.”
