Tantawi receives Welch
Egypt-USA, Politics, 9/19/2001

Egyptian Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Muhammad Sayed Tantawi Tuesday received new U.S. ambassador to Egypt David Welch.

During the meeting, Dr. Tantawi voiced Al Azhar's condemnation of the September 11 attacks on innocent American citizens.

Tantawi offered condolences to the American people and to the families of the victims.

He thanked U.S. President George W. Bush for his kind gesture when he visited the Washington-based Islamic Centre and explained that Islam was against this criminal act and that Washington would not accuse anybody without evidence.

On his part, Welch said there were more than one billion Muslims worldwide, seven millions of them are in the U.S. Islam is a religion of tolerance and rejects violence, the ambassador knew this fact.

On the other hand, Tantawi defended a "fatwa" (Sharia related) he had given saying that everyone in the face of Jewish killers is a martyr.

He refuted a statement made by the Israeli chief rabbi that would ask Muslim scholars to change this fatwa.

In a statement to the Cairo Arabic weekly "Al Mussawar" published in its issue of September 21, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar said the Israeli chief rabbi made that statement for personal reasons "but our fatwa is correct because whoever is killed in defence of his honour, land, or property is a martyr."

"Instead of asking us to explain our fatwa, the Israeli chief rabbi has to change his logic and his mind and speak in the spirit of just humanity which supports right and defeats what is not true," the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar said.

Previous Stories:
  Do not be hasty in revenge before having clear-cut evidence   (9/18/2001)
  Egypt doesn't enter into alliance   (9/17/2001)
  Embassy in Washington looks after Egyptians in US   (9/17/2001)

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