Ashraf Abo Arafe
On Wednesday 20 September the Grand Mufti and British Ambassador attended the graduation ceremony of 16 British Muslim Leaders who have been studying Islamic jurisprudence at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah.
Grand Mufti Dr. Shawki Allam said: “Imams and preachers in Britain are the nucleus of Islamic teachings and values, spreading peace, correcting concepts abroad, and training and rehabilitating them is a very important step in the system of renewing the religious discourse. It is important that the imams and preachers be trained to deal with the legal texts within the facts of reality, and possess the tools of the moderate religious discourse and its correct methods beyond underestimation and overestimation.”
His eminence stressed that the General Secretariat of the committees of Ifta all over the world are fully prepared to provide all forms of legitimate support to imams and Muslim communities in the United Kingdom, and to benefit from their expertise in combating extremism and confronting extremist groups.
British Ambassador John Casson said. ‘We hear a lot these days about religion as a source of problems in the world. But in British society and Egypt alike faith is also a vital source of solutions – providing rich resources of faith, ethics, solidarity and deeply rooted solutions. That’s why it is so important to support future leaders, built on deep international relationships and using the very best scholarship from Egypt’s historic institutions.
“So I’m delighted that the British scholars here today have benefited from studying Islamic principles, including the values of peace and tolerance, at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah. They told me important experiences about how to inspire young people not with hatred but on the basis of the concept of Mercy. Working together, sharing experiences and creating a constructive dialogue, we become stronger than ever in our battle to combat the extremism in our societies.”
The UK and Egypt have a close relationship on religious education, including 28 British students currently studying at Al Azhar University. In 2015, the Religious Studies scholarship was established by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, and the British Ambassador, John Casson . The scholarship allows Al-Azhar graduates do up to four years of PhD in Islamic and Religious Studies at leading UK universities. Since 2016, six scholarships have been awarded. The British Embassy is now raising new funds for the programme from global supporters, under the Patronage of HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.
