Jafar outside Al Azhar Institution headquarters
CAIRO – 14 September 2017: A walking tour in Islamic Cairo culminated in American expat Jeffrey Reynolds officializing his conversion to Islam, beginning from the Hussein historical district, Khan al-Khalili bazaar area and finally Al-Azhar headquarters.
Egypt Today accompanied Jeffrey, who also goes by Jafar, in the walk on Tuesday.
Egypt Today with Jafar outside Al Hussein Mosque, built in 1154
As soon as we arrived to the Hussein district, Jafar was interested to start his tour by visiting Al Hussein Mosque, built in 1154. He walked inside the large mosque and visited the shrine of Imam Al Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed.
Jafar at Imam Hussein shrine inside the mosque
He then went to a fruit juice shop near Al Hussein Mosque and had sugar cane juice while wandering around the mosque taking photos and playing football in the vicinity, which is used as a picnic destination for many Egyptians.
Enjoying sugar cane juice
He kept walking until he reached Khan Al Khalili to buy souvenirs and take photos of the historical places and bazaars.
Jafar outside a bazaar of Islamic and Pharaonic items in Khan al-Khalili
He visited the nearby Al Azhar Mosque, built in 970, and met some Al Azhar University scholars giving lectures there.
Jafar inside Al Azhar mosque
Finally, he walked to Al Azhar headquarters, across from the famous Al Azhar Park, to obtain a certificate of his conversion. He met Professor Ahmed Omar Hashim, one of the most famous scholars at Al Azhar.
Jafar outside Al Azhar Institution headquarters
“I embraced Islam in 2008 after having lived in Egypt for two years while studying at the American University in Cairo. I then returned to the U.S. for a few years. Now that I’m back in Cairo, I wanted to get a certificate of my conversion from al-Azhar,” Jafar told Egypt Today.
Jafar meeting Shaykh Ahmed Omar Hashim
At the end of the tour, he expressed his wish to spend his life in Egypt.
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