For 1400 years that message has been spread in ways that closely resemble what the Taliban did over the last few weeks. How is what al-Azhar offering different? Aside from educating girls, that is left unexplained in this article.
“Sunni scholars from Al-Azhar who left Afghanistan hope Islam’s tolerant message survives Taliban,” Reuters, September 22, 2021 (thanks to Henry):
Clerics from Egypt’s ancient seat of Sunni study Al-Azhar, who spent years teaching in Afghanistan and were planning to open an education centre for girls, hope their tolerant message of Islam will survive the return of the Taliban.
The 1,000 year-old institution had opened a mission in Kabul in 2007, promoting what its clerics describe as Islam’s peaceful tradition in a country where guerrillas have used religion as a justification for fighting for decades.
The 23-person mission was repatriated to Egypt after being briefly stranded in Kabul when the Taliban swept into the Afghan capital last month.
“There must be a presence for Al-Azhar in the country of Afghanistan, in order for us to communicate with the Afghan people and youth, to spread Islam’s tolerant message,” Shawki Abuzeid, the 58-year-old head of the mission said in an interview in Cairo.
Al-Azhar hosted 700 male Afghan students in Kabul, and over the years thousands have gone on to further religious and Arabic language studies at Al-Azhar university in Cairo. The mission also gave lectures and sermons, and contributed commentary in Afghan media….
“The Taliban are from the fabric of the Afghan people, and as I heard from the media and from our contacts with professors and heads of universities and some important figures, the thinking changed and they value women, and they said they will educate them but in a way compatible with Islamic law.”…
abu taleb says
Men can beat their women if the men are suspecting their women’s loyalty. Men can divorce their wives by only saying one word ‘talaq’ three times. Men can rape their wives or slaves because it is their right. Is that Islam’s tolerance? Yes, it is.
mortimer says
LOL Ha, ha, ha !!!!!!! I really needed a good laugh to start my day! I wonder how exactly the scholars of Al Azhar (Islam’s premier academic institution) will FABRICATE this *new-improved* message of Islam ??? No doubt, they will string to together ALL of the more tolerant Meccan verses … all of which were abrogated and nullified by the jihadic ‘Medianan’. They will HAVE TO fabricate something … and it will be called ‘BIDA’ (innovation) by the Taliban.
Al Azhar scholars will have to do some MIGHTY CREATIVE TAP DANCING around the landmines of the 164 JIHAD VERSES in the Koran and volumes of text from ALL of Islam’s most notable authorities which PROMOTES and CANONIZES jihad!
My prediction is this: should AL AZHAR even TRY TO REMOVE THE OBLIGATION OF JIHAD, then the Taliban will DENOUNCE Al Azhar University as the home of APOSTATES. The Taliban will be obligated by Islamic law to attack the ‘near enemy’ … namely, Muslims who are creating ‘BIDA’ (theological innovation).
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
nicholas tesdorf says
” Islam’s tolerant message’” …. now there is a new concept for you! We should see more of it.
gravenimage says
Al-Azhar scholar: ‘There must be a presence for Al-Azhar in Afghanistan, to spread Islam’s tolerant message’
……………….
The “tolerant message” of Jihad terror, wife beating, and sex slavery? All things that Al Azhar has confirmed just recently.