WikiLeaks:

al-Azhar sought Saudi permission to attend Iranian-proposed conference on Islamic unit

Rasa – As revealed in a Wikileaks document from April 2011, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar sought permission from Saudi authorities before agreeing to attend an Iranian-proposed meeting on Islamic unity.

News ID: 2803

Date: 23 June 2015 - 17:35

RNA – In accordance to a document from April 2011 published this week on the whistle blowing website Wikileaks the Grand Imam of Egypt’s renowned al-Azhar University consulted the Saudi ambassador to Cairo over an Iranian-proposed conference on Islamic unity.

Meanwhile, Dr. Abbas Shouman, al-Azhar’s undersecretary, has reacted to the leaked document saying “al-Azhar is an independent institution whose stances are based on its own religious principles.”

“However, [al-Azhar] coordinates with Islamic countries over Islam-related issues in order to avoid issuing opinions unsuitable in other countries in the Islamic world; despite al-Azhar’s internationality, it refuses to be the custodian of a person, a group or a state,”  he added, speaking to reporters in Cairo after news of the leaks broke.

On Saturday, Wikileaks published a 2011 Saudi Foreign Ministry document, signed by former Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and addressing late King Abdullah, claiming that al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmad al-Tayyib informed the Saudi ambassador to Cairo that Iranians are pressuring for a meeting with him to discuss Islamic unity.

In the document, Shaykh al-Tayyib stated that he will not decide whether to attend without coordination with the Saudi government.

al-Azhar has not denied these allegations, but in a press statement in response to the leaks, Dr. Shouman stated that al-Azhar sought permission from the Saudi religious establishment to attend the Iranian-proposed meeting.

“However, [al-Azhar] coordinates with Islamic countries over Islam-related issues in order to avoid issuing opinions unsuitable in other countries in the Islamic world,” Dr. Shouman added, “Despite al-Azhar’s internationality, it refuses to be the custodian of a person, a group or a state.”

He also cited an international conference which was held in Cairo in December 2014, and was attended by Shi’ite Muslims and Christians, including representatives from oriental churches, Lebanese sects and Egyptian churches.

In another part of the leaked document, the Saudi Foreign Minister had asked the King of Saudi Arabia to invite the Shaykh al-Tayyib to Saudi Arabia.

The leak, which was one of more than 60,000 released Friday, suggests that the renowned Sunni religious institution consulted with Saudi rulers in order to coordinate a common Sunni position before meeting with representatives of the majority Shi’ite state – Saudi Arabia’s primary regional rival.

For its part, the Saudi Foreign Ministry on Friday tweeted: “Dear conscientious citizen: Avoid accessing any website to obtain leaked documents or information that may be incorrect, with the purpose of harming the security of the homeland.”

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