Yemen brings in Imams from al-Azhar to fight Islamic extremism

Minister of religious affairs in Yemen Hammoud Abbas said yesterday that the government, in its effort to fight islamic extremism, brought in some 36 Egyptian Imams from al-Azhar to qualify its own Imams (religious clerics).

The state run al-Wahda newspaper quoted Abbas as saying that the Imams have arrived in Yemen and will supervise the qualification of some 200 Yemeni clerics in all parts of the country.

Abbas added that "the qualification intends to authorize (the Yemeni Imams) to complete their tasks in line with Islamic principles and to enhance the culture of tolerance."