The grand imam of Al-Azhar offered a robust defence of “true” Islam before Pope Francis at the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue on the first day of the pontiff’s apostolic journey to Bahrain.
“What is said and promoted from time to time about the institution of war in Islam against the infidels is not true,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb told Francis at the Sakhir Royal Palace during a dialogue session on Friday.
“Indeed, it is a real lie about Islam and the life of its prophet, even if this is affirmed by some followers of the same religion, a religion that is based on evidence and testimony, not on ambiguity and lies,” al-Tayyeb claimed.
“I hope you are not bored with the constant claims that Islam is a religion of peace and equality,” the grand imam quipped.
Muslim scholars should “be diligent in letting Westerners know about true Islam,” and “continue to highlight what Islam encompasses in terms of lofty ideals, human brotherhood and cooperation, and other commonalities that the West and East agree on and welcome,” al-Tayyeb stressed.
“Western culture should not be represented as the only civilized society and as the standard for judging other cultures. Any interference with other cultures is an abuse of power,” he maintained, quoting words from Tzvetan Todorov’s The Fear of the Barbarians.