Representative of Al-Azhar to ’Al-Ahed’ : Open to all Egyptians

Marwa Mohammed - Cairo

Abbas Shouman, representative of al-Azhar as a minister, has affirmed that the role of al-Azhar is clear and well-known. This religious institution has disputes with anyone; it rather stands with the people and support them . He stressed the unitary role of al-Azhar and how it is keen on dialogue and non-discrimination.
In an interview with Al-Ahed news Website, Shouman said that al-Azhar has submitted many documents to stop violence , reject quarrel and unite the nation starting from the fact of being for everyone.

Regarding al-Azhar position of the the deteriorating security situation and religious extremism, Shuman said that al-Azhar is a missionary foundation working for the good of Muslims and Christians whether home or abroad. He stressed on the strong relationship between al-Azhar and Christians pointing to the ongoing meetings and consultations between both parties.

He added : al-Azhar is an institution that has no weapon but words and it always calls for dialogue. He recalled al-Azhar stances denouncing bombings and asking Egyptians to do the same classifying all terrorist acts in the context of planned chaos, vandalism and damage to state institutions in the country.

Shouman blamed responsibility of these terrorist acts on everyone who does not take into account the interest of religion or homeland. He described those setting government institutions and Egyptian properties on fire as an enemy.
In response to a question about the student protests at the University of Al-Azhar and its subsidiaries, he replied: All government institutions, not only al-Azhar, must contain students and protestors. The role of al-Azhar is all about guidance and calling for activating dialogue. Shouman asked the army and security forces to do their job.

Shouman sees that the Ministry of Youth , Religious Affairs and the rest of ministries must deal with students problems by finding job opportunities and holding educational lectures in corporation with al-Azhar . He considered that security solutions are not enough to contain the crisis.
On the other hand, Shoman warned against closing and confiscating charities saying :I have talked about this important point with the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Prime Minister when "Muslim Brotherhood" was declared as a terrorist group. I told them that is necessary to adopt a legislation that does not hurt the poor.

He continued: All institutions that provide charitable work in various domains should remain as they are up for the poor, even if supervised by the state. Shouman requested the state of the need to protect the interests of the poor citizen, and warned that failure to meet the needs of the poor will lead to pressure on the state or protest or theft.

Source: Al-Ahed news