Azhar Grand Imam heads for Kazakhstan for religious leaders' congress

CAIRO - 8 October 2018: Al Azhar Grand Imam and President of the Muslim Council of Elders Ahmed el Tayyeb embarked Monday on an official visit to Kazakhstan leading a delegation of leading Azhar scholars.

The visit comes in response to an invitation from Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to participate in the Sixth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions scheduled to kick off in Astana on Wednesday, said a statement issued by Azhar.

Tayyeb is expected to deliver a speech at the conference's main session; he will also meet senior Kazakh officials.

Moreover, he will deliver a lecture at Eurasian National University where he will be awarded an honorary doctorate.

Last week Kazakhstan's Ambassador here Arman Issagaliyev stressed the importance of the participation of Tayyeb in the religious leaders' meeting in Astana.

In statements to MENA, the diplomat said that the congress is considered the biggest dialogue platform in the world where clerics, politicians, scholars and international organizations convene in order to probe a broad range of issues connected with religion and politics.

Tayyeb's participation in the event will contribute to enhancing understanding of the noble teachings of Islam and the values of peaceful co-existence and tolerance, Issagaliyev asserted.

The event is to be held under the theme of "Religious leaders for a safe world". Held every three years in the Kazakh capital the congress seeks to promote global dialogue among religions and cultures while deepening and strengthening mutual understanding and respect among different religious communities. The congress also aims to develop a culture of tolerance and mutual respect as opposed to an ideology of hatred and extremism, and fosters cooperation and interaction with all international organizations and entities that pursue the goals of promoting dialogue among religions, cultures and civilizations.