Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Egypt’s Parliament avoids showdown with Al Azhar over role in religion

Dr Ahmed Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar, rejects proposal that would water down institution's authority
o Muslims the world over, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar is a deeply revered spiritual leader whose influence transcends politics, race and borders.

In his native Egypt, most of the mainly Muslim 100 million people regard Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb as the contemporary face of moderate Islam and wait on his every word.

This week, Dr Al Tayeb publicly stated his opposition to a draft bill sponsored by more than 60 legislators.

If adopted, it would create religious bodies that the Grand Imam considered would undermine Al Azhar’s primacy as the highest seat of learning for Muslims, which it has held for centuries.

In an unusual move, a powerful Al Azhar body of which Dr Al Tayeb is chairman wrote a publicised letter to the Speaker of Parliament, the strongly pro-government advocate Ali Abdel Aal.

It told Mr Abdel Aal that the draft legislation breached Egypt’s 2014 constitution, which includes Al Azhar's standing as the country’s foremost and only authority on matters pertaining to Islam.

Dr Al Tayeb’s show of authority – something that he rarely does – was without fanfare or hint of self-aggrandisement.

It followed times in recent years when he has been at odds with the government over its efforts to moderate Islam’s discourse.

It also came about two years after some legislators unsuccessfully tried to pass bills to limit the Grand Imam’s authority.

“The constitutional violations of the draft legislation don’t just stop at encroaching on the mandate of Al Azhar, attempting to create a body parallel to it that seeks to replace it in both substance and objective,” the letter read.

“The danger lies in the attempt to break up the mission of Al Azhar and undermine its independence, which are the backbone of its centrist and moderate ideology.”

In another letter, Dr Al Tayeb told Mr Abdel Aal that he would personally attend the House’s debate on the proposed law to argue the case against it.

That debate was scheduled for Monday and his intention to attend piqued the interest of millions of Egyptians who anticipated a heated dispute between Dr Al Tayeb and a parliament packed with government supporters.

Social media was abuzz with speculation on the outcome, while a discussion ensued on whether the government was really trying to weaken the Grand Imam's authority.

Monday’s showdown was avoided at the last minute when Mr Abdel Aal sent the draft back to the chamber’s religious committee to review reservations from a senior judicial body.

Consequently, Dr Al Tayeb never went to Parliament, but the episode appeared to point to differences between Al Azhar and parts of the state.

That the dispute was avoided may have been beneficial to the government at a time when the working and middle classes are struggling to make ends meet after shockwaves from the coronavirus epidemic.

A handful of unpopular decisions did not help, including a surge in the price of electricity in July and this month’s 18 per cent reduction in weight of state-subsidised loaves of bread.

Apparently seeking to dismiss the notion that parliament backed down to Al Azhar, several pro-government legislators told local media that the draft bill was not on Monday’s agenda.

And one of them claimed that the Grand Imam never formally informed the house of his intention to attend Monday’s hearing.

Dr Al Tayeb’s views are appreciated and understood, said religious committee member Amany Aziz.

“But the state has a vision that’s far-sighted and is in the interest of the nation and the citizens,” Mr Aziz said.

Another legislator, Mohammed Abu Hamed, implicitly stated his opposition to Dr Al Tayeb attending Monday’s hearing.

Mr Abu Hamed said Al Azhar representatives routinely attended sessions when the topic of discussion was relevant, suggesting that Dr Al Tayeb's presence would have been unnecessary.

It is not likely that the draft legislation will resurface any time soon.

Monday’s hearing was the last in the house’s five-year term. Elections for a new chamber are expected this year.

The 1,000-year-old Al Azhar in Cairo attracts thousands of foreign students from places as far away as Indonesia, Senegal, Russia and South Africa, and its own scholars teach Islam across much of the world.

Al Azhar has recently been accused of a rigid discourse and resisting calls to modernise to encourage moderation.

Dr Al Tayeb has led the defence of the institution, arguing at times that what he was being asked to do amounted to abandoning the basic tenets of Islamic teaching.

While frequently criticised by pro-government social media users for allowing Al Azhar’s “antiquated” views to endure, he surprised many last month when he came out strongly against Egyptians who say women’s clothing is to blame for the growing cases of sexual harassment and assault.

Dr Al Tayeb's comments were warmly welcomed by women’s rights activists campaigning against the country’s pervasive problem of sexual harassment and demanding justice for its victims.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×