Ahmed el-Tayeb

Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed el-Tayeb (Arabic: أحمد محمد أحمد الطيب‎) is the current Grand Imam of al-Azhar and former president of al-Azhar University. He was appointed by the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, following the death of Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy in 2010. He is considered to be one of the most moderate Sunni clerics in Egypt.^[1] El-Tayeb holds a Ph. D in Islamic philosophy from the Paris-Sorbonne University, and has been president of Al-Azhar University since 2003.^[2][3] Between 2002 and 2003, el-Tayeb served as Grand Mufti of Egypt.^[4] El-Tayeb is a hereditary Sufi shaykh from Upper Egypt and has expressed support for a global Sufi league.^[5]

Membership in National Democratic Party

Prior to his appointment as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and president of al-Azhar University, el-Tayeb was a member of Mubarak's National Democratic Party's Policies Committee.^[1] El-Tayeb initially refused to resign from his position in the National Democratic Party (NDP), saying there was no conflict between his role at Al-Azhar and membership in the party.^[6]

In April 2010, El-Tayeb resigned from his post in the NDP.^[7]

Relationship with Muslim Brotherhood

In an article published shortly after his appointment as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and president of al-Azhar University, el-Tayeb was described as "a regime loyalist and member of Mr Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party [who] takes a firm stance against the Muslim Brotherhood". El-Tayeb was quoted saying that that Al-Azhar University would "never be an open field for the Brotherhood".^[1]

The same article reported that the Muslim Brotherhood's leader, Mohammed Badie, had congratulated el-Tayeb on his appointment. At the same time, the Brotherhood senior member, sheikh Sayed Askar, also an Azharite, accused the government of "promoting one of its own at the expense of people better suited to the post".^[1]

Criticism of el-Tayeb intensified after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Some Muslim Brotherhood members accused him of being "a remnant of the ousted Mubarak regime and National Democratic Party".^[8]

In 2011, following the Egyptian revolution, the Muslim Brotherhood held a rally at the Al-Azhar mosque to oppose what it described as the Judaization of Jerusalem. El-Tayeb spoke at the rally, saying "the al-Aqsa Mosque is currently under an offensive by the Jews" and "we shall not allow the Zionists to Judaize al-Quds [Jerusalem]". He also alleged that Jews around the world were trying to prevent Islamic and Egyptian unity.^[9][10] The rally was criticized by the New York Daily News as antisemitic.^[11]

On 3 July 2013, el-Tayeb backed the removal of Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader, from the post of Egyptian president.^[12]

Sunni-Shia Relations

He has strongly rebuked the Salafi anti-Shia preaching that has increased since the Syrian civil war.^[13]

Statements on Jews

In an interview which aired on Egypt's Channel 1 on October 25, 2013 (as translated by MEMRI), Al-Tayeb stated that "Since the inception of Islam 1,400 years ago, we have been suffering from Jewish and Zionist interference in Muslim affairs. This is a cause of great distress for the Muslims." Al-Tayeb also argued that "the Quran said it and history has proven it: 'You shall find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers to be the Jews and the polytheists.'" He also claimed that Jews consider non-Jews to be "extremely inferior" and that Jews "practice a terrible hierarchy, and they are not ashamed to admit it, because it is written in the Torah – with regard to killing, enslavement, and so on."^[14]

Awards and honours

• 2013 Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Cultural Personality of the Year^[15]

References

External links

• Al-Azhar Mosque and University (official site)