Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb has called on the West to apologize to Egypt for having colonized Africa.
In a speech on behalf of Sheikh Hassan al-Shafey, Tayyeb’s advisor, at a meeting entitled "Al-Azhar and Africa: Challenges and Ambitions," Tayyeb said that what the West had done was an "indelible crime" which requires a historic apology.
He also expressed support for cooperation between Egypt and African nations "in light of a new atmosphere of freedom." He went on to describe Al-Azhar as a "light house" for Muslims around the world.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said in a speech read by Ambassador Waheed Galal that Egypt should boost its ties with Africa. He noted education and culture as two aspects for cooperation. Amr commended Al-Azhar’s role in spreading enlightened Islamic thought in Africa.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
