Al-Azhar Mosque held its first Friday prayer on 7 Ramadan 361 AH, corresponding to 21 June 972 CE, marking its effective inauguration as a mosque of public worship.
There is no better moment than this anniversary to share an important message from Al-Azhar’s current Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, delivered in Arabic, Farsi, and English.
On Friday, El-Tayeb issued a trilingual statement condemning Israel’s ongoing war against Iran and denouncing the international community’s silence, which he described as complicity.
I strongly condemn the ongoing aggression by the occupying entity against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the systematic attacks and continued recklessness committed by this usurping aggressor and its backers, acts that risk dragging the region to the brink of explosion and…
— أحمد الطيب (@alimamaltayeb) June 20, 2025
Al-Azhar’s official newspaper, Sawt Al-Azhar (“The Voice of Al-Azhar”), featured the front-page headline this week: “One Nation and a Common Destiny,” condemning the Israeli war on Iran.
Sawt Al-Azhar further reprinted the Ahl al-Qibla Declaration, issued by leading Islamic scholars—including Sheikh El-Tayeb—aimed at strengthening dialogue and fostering unity among the various Islamic sects and schools of thought.
It is worth noting that when Al-Azhar celebrated the 1,085th Hijri anniversary of its inauguration—marked by its first Friday prayer on 7th Ramadan (361 AH / 972 CE)—I published a post highlighting Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb’s call to the Islamic world to end sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Sawt Al-Azhar features a special report arguing that the entire Middle East—not just Iran—should be free of nuclear weapons, raising the question of why Israel is allowed to possess them.
The newspaper also ran a story about Israeli nuclear technician and whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu.
Interestingly, Al-Azhar Mosque was originally built by the Fatimids as a center for promoting Shia doctrine worldwide—but in a historical twist, it later became the world’s most prominent Sunni Islamic institution.
El-Tayeb is likely the most senior Sunni Muslim scholar and official to publicly express support for Iran.
Needless to say, some Salafists have criticized him—but there’s nothing new under the sun.
Also, I noticed that Israeli Twitter troll Edy Cohen is back at it—spreading hate and fueling sectarian division between Sunni and Shia Muslims on Twitter this Friday.
The self-proclaimed expert on the Arab world, who is of Lebanese origin, wrote the following on his account:
إسرائيل تحارب من أجل مقدسات أهل السنة و الجماعة.
— إيدي كوهين אדי כהן (@EdyCohen) June 20, 2025
إيران تتسلح بالنووي لتقضي على مقدسات المسليمين السنيين.
أفيقوا يا أهل السنة.
تسليحها له مرجعية دينية من 1400 سنة.
هدفها مكة ولا شيء غير ذالك.
افيقوا يا أهل السنة. pic.twitter.com/9t9kUOqImk
“Israel is fighting for the sanctities of the Sunnis. Iran is arming itself with nuclear weapons to destroy Sunni Muslim sanctities. Wake up, Sunnis. Its armament has a religious reference of 1400 years. Her goal is Mecca and nothing else. Wake up, Sunnis!!”
The irony is staggering. The Israeli army has killed over 58,000 Palestinians—the vast majority of whom are Sunni Muslims—displaced more than two million mostly Sunni Palestinians, and demolished nearly every mosque in Gaza.
I do not need to say that Muslims, as well as Christian Palestinians, aka Arabs in Israel, are second-degree citizens who do not enjoy the same rights as Jewish Israelis. It is enough to know that there are bomb shelters in their villages and neighbourhoods.
The current Israeli government includes ministers who have openly expressed their desire to demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam—venerated by Sunnis as well. In fact, the mosque is frequently closed or restricted under Israeli authority.
I do not know who Cohen fools, but I know he loves attention.
By the way, Mawlawi Abdul Hamid, the most prominent Sunni cleric in Iran—known for his courageous stance during the 2022 uprising—is now calling for unity and resistance:
“We defend Iran’s borders; this is our homeland. We will not allow any foreigner, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, to violate it.”
He also released a statement echoing the views of many within the Iranian opposition.
سلامی گرم از کنار روضه رحمةللعالمین به مردم شریف ایران. وطن در آتش تجاوز بیگانگان و بیتدبیری خودیها میسوزد. قلب ما با هموطنان عزیزی است که ناچار به ترک خانه شدهاند. ضمن مطالبه آزادی فوری زندانیان سیاسی، از دلسوزان کشور انتظار میرود سکوت را بشکنند و راهحل عملی ارائه دهند.
— شیخ الاسلام مولانا عبدالحمید (@AbdolhamidNet) June 17, 2025
On the other hand, it appears that Cairo is one of the mediation channels between Tehran and Washington. However, I believe the Iranians are deeply angered—and rightfully so—and have every reason to distrust the Americans and reject any dialogue in the absence of a ceasefire.
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