Shia, Sunni Proximity Conference Planned in Egypt
According to al-Yawm al-Sabi newspaper, Ahmed Karima said a number of Al-Azhar scholars as well as representatives from the Awqaf and Islamic affairs ministry along with religious figures will attend the event.
He said the conference is aimed at promoting Islamic fraternity and proximity among Islamic schools of thought.
Strengthening friendly and brotherly relations with Egypt’s Christian community will also be on the agenda, he added.
The conference will be organized in late august, the scholar went on to say.
Islam in Egypt is the dominant religion in a country with around 80 million Muslims.
Muslims comprise some 95 percent of the population. The majority of the Arab country’s Muslims are Sunnis, and there is a minority of Shia Muslims.
Estimated numbers of Egypt’s Shias range from 800,000 to about two to three million.
Egyptian Christians, nearly all of whom are Copts (adherents of the Coptic Orthodox Church or other Coptic churches), account for about three percent of the population.
