Al Azhar Sheikh: western media doesn't dare accuse Christianity, Judaism of terrorism

CAIRO – 2 June 2019: Talking about Islamophobia, Al Azhar Shekh Ahmed al-Tayeb said that western media promoted for the wrong image about Islam through the term “Islamophobia,” despite the Islamic clergymen and scholars’ efforts to clarify and rectify this misconception

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb added that Islamophobia was rooted in politicians and media people’s culture due to funds of anti-Islam people.

“We have media and physical capabilities, beside the abundance of new satellite channels that enable us to do justice to that religion that is followed by more than a billion and a half of Muslims [worldwide], but we cared more about other interests that weakened us,” Al Azhar sheikh said.

“Up to this moment, we never heard about Christianity-phobia, Judaism-phobia, Buddhism-phobia or Hinduism-phobia. I believe that there is not a newspaper or a channel or a TV program in the West or in the East dare speak about phobia of any other religion or belief,” al-Tayeb said.

Islam rejects violence among people of any religion, he added, saying “We do not hold the Christian religion, nor Christ [peace be upon him] nor Moses [peace be upon him] a single atom of responsibility for the terrible massacres of Muslims by believers of other religions. We do not label a religion as terrorism, violence and brutality. We remain deeply aware of the vast difference between religions and their teachings, and between the traders of religions,” he continued.

Since 1948 until today, many Muslims have been killed during wars in Palestine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Myanmar and New Zealand. However, neither a historian nor a Muslim writer dared to utter one word that distorts Christianity or Judaism as it is forbidden by Islam, he added.

Despite Islamic world leaders’ efforts of counter-terrorism and rectifying the image of Islam worldwide, Insulting Islam is being practiced.

In his speech at the ceremony, President Sisi said that people’s behaviors could affect the image of their religion negatively or positively in other nations’ points of views, saying “Strong religion could be weakened by its believers’ behaviors.”

Sisi honored ten winners of Quranic Competition Awards. The winners, who are from Egypt, Jordan, Chad, Kenya, Senegal, and Russia, were given financial awards ranging from LE180,000 (US$ 10,774) to LE70,000 (US$ 4,190).

Laylat al-Qadr is the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that God bestow prolific mercy and blessings on Laylat al-Qadr (translates to Night of Decree); it is one of the odd-numbered nights during the last 10 days in the Holy month of Ramadan, with many scholars suggesting it falls on the Ramadan 27. In Quran, Laylat al-Qadr is described as "Better than 1000 months."