Grand Imam receives US Church delegation

Egyptian Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi received on Saturday a U.S. ecclesiastic delegation led by Victor Emmanuel.

During the meeting Tantawi spoke of the tolerance of Islam, the religion which, he said, envisaged happiness for the entire humanity.

On his part, Emmanuel lauded Al-Azhar for being among the first religious institutions to denounce the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11.

He extended an invitation to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to visit the US.

Meanwhile, Al-Azhar University President Ahmed Omar Hashem arrived in Jakarta Saturday on a few days' visit to Indonesia for talks on bolstering cooperation between Al-Azhar and the Indonesian, Islamic educational institutions.

The visit comes at the invitation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Hashem in statements he gave upon arrival, said that his visit falls within the context of sustained relations between Egypt and AL-Azhar and all the Islamic countries and universities to serve Islam and spread its teachings of mercy, peace, tolerance and benevolence.

He said that he will conclude a new cooperation agreement to reactivate relations between Al-Azhar and the Indonesian universities.

Al-Azhar is the world's oldest Islamic educational institution, he said.

Replying to a question about the September 11 events in the US, he said that Al-Azhar's stand, as was expressed in a statement it issued following those incidents, was full condemnation of terrorism in all its forms. Terrorism has no nationality, religion or morality, he added.

Egypt's ambassador to Indonesia Ezzat Saad said that Al-Azhar University President's visit to Indonesia enjoyed much interest by the Indonesian people and media.

Hashem's agenda is busy with meetings with the top religious officials and figures in Indonesia, with visits to many Islamic educational institutions and with TV Interviews, he added.