Farrakhan meets Al-Azhar Imam in Cairo

Al-Azhar Imam in Cairo Sheikh Mohammad Tantawi on Wednesday met the leader of the Nation of Islam movement in the US, Louis Farrakhan, who is on a three-day visit to Cairo during which he will meet with several Egyptian officials.

During the meeting Farrakhan hoped the whole world would "convert to Islam as the only way for man to reach peace." He added in the meeting which was held at al-Azhar University, built in 970 AD by the Fatimids, "It is a great honor for me to be in the oldest and most important educational establishment in the world."

He noted the sufferings of the Palestinian and Iraqi peoples due to the sanctions imposed on them. He went on to say that Islam is the religion of tolerance which does not discriminate between blacks and the whites as all ethnic groups descend from one man (Adam) and one woman (Eve).

Upon arriving at Cairo airport, he noted that Egypt plays a substantial role in the peace process and in maintaining unity between the Arab and Islamic worlds.