Al-Azhar Sheikh Underlines Shia-Sunni Proximity
Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, who is visiting Indonesia at the head of a delegation of scholars from al-Azhar, described Shia and Sunni Islam as the two wings of the religion.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Indonesian scholars on Monday, al-Ummah al-Akhbariya website reported.
The al-Azhar Sheikh warned against imposing a certain school of thought on others and stressed that Islam is a religion of tolerance.
He underlined that Shias are Muslims and cannot be considered non-Muslim.
In August last year, senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi welcomed a call by Sheikh Tayeb for a unity meeting of leading Sunni and Shia scholars.
Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi sent a letter to al-Azhar’s Sheikh, proposing a conference between top Shia and Sunni scholars "to review the most important obstacles in the way of Islamic unity” and "to set forth the most significant, necessary measures for reinforcing Islamic unity.”
The call by Sheikh Tayeb had been aired on Egypt’s state TV in July 2015 at the end of a series of programs during the holy month of Ramadan.
