Mauritanian president receives head of Egypt’s Al-Azhar

By Mohamed Bakay

NOUAKCHOTT (AA) - President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Monday received Ahmad al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar, who is currently on a days-long visit to Mauritania.

Local media provided few details on the meeting, other than to say it was attended by Mauritanian Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Ould Ahl Dawood and Egyptian Ambassador in Nouakchott Majid Nafie Musleh.

On Sunday evening, al-Tayeb took part in a symposium held in the capital devoted to the twin threats of “extremism and intellectual deviation”.

“The issues of extremism and terrorism, and the association of both to Islam, represent a frightening phenomenon nowadays,” he said at the seminar.

He went on to urge Muslim scholars in attendance to join forces in the fight against “extremism”.

Al-Tayeb also praised the role of Mauritanian Muslim scholars, especially in regards to the Islamic sciences.

Established by the Fatimid caliphate in the 10th century, Egypt’s Al-Azhar currently serves as the highest seat of Islamic scholarship in the Sunni-Muslim world.