The role of Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar
The Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mosque and University is considered Sunni Islam’s highest authority in jurisprudence.
The Grand Imam can issue fatwas, or rulings, over worldly issues from a religious standpoint when disagreements arise among scholars.
Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb was appointed as Al Azhar’s 50th Grand Imam by former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak after the death of his predecessor in 2010.
But Al Azhar’s leader is no longer appointed by the president and is instead elected by an institutional committee.
Based in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, Al Azhar is the most prestigious educational establishment for those who enter the field of Islamic jurisprudence and learning. Al Azhar and its network of 9,000 schools in the country are attended by two million students.
One of the world’s oldest universities, Al Azhar was re-established during the reign of president Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum in 1961, transforming it into a fully fledged university.
In 2013, Al Azhar also made reforms to its curriculum, moving away from outdated passages and towards teachings that are more compatible with the modern age.
“Sharia allows for rulings that are no longer applicable to the modern age to be reviewed to make it more suitable for this age,” the university’s deputy head, Abbas Shuman, said at the time.
Dr Al Tayeb was the president of Al Azhar for seven years before his appointment and taught in Saudi, Qatari and Emirati universities.
Born in 1946, he is from Luxor and was a student at Al Azhar University from 1971.
Through interviews, he stood against political Islam in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood and backed the military coup that removed Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
He also validated women’s ability to take on leadership positions in the corporate world and religion, as well as their right to travel without a guardian when safe to do so.
In a tweet in May, he opposed the obstruction of marriage by guardians “without adequate reasons”.
In his capacity as Grand Imam, Dr Al Tayeb is consulted on political matters and represents the Muslim world at certain events.
He co-signed the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together with Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi, which was the basis for the interfaith Abrahamic Family House set to open in 2022.