Cairo- The Arab League and Al Azhar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) Wednesday to promote joint cooperation between the two sides in promoting dialogue and disseminating the tolerant and the moderate teachings of Islam.
The MoU was signed between Arab League's Assistant Secretary General for Social Affairs Ambassador Badr el Din Alali and Al Azhar spokesman Abbas Shoman.
The two sides work within the framework of a strategic vision to confront attempts to insult Islam and distort its noble values, contributing to presenting the correct image of the Arab Islamic civilization and its contribution to the enrichment of human civilization.
Sources at Al Azhar said that “the memorandum of understanding also enables the exchange of experiences and visits between the two sides to hold consultations in areas of common interest.”
Alali, meanwhile, underlined the importance of the MoU, especially that Al Azhar is a representative of the moderate religious institution in the Islamic world.
Shoman, for his part, described cooperation between Al Azhar and the Arab Leagu
e as long-standing.
He also underlined the importance of cooperation between the various institutions in order to combat terrorism in the Arab countries and Islamophobia in the west.
The Arab League and the Al Azhar stressed the importance of establishing a moderate religious discourse inspired by established religious values rather than challenging the modern era’s spirit or hindering openness to the world and the principles of divine religions.