Al-Azhar’s Hail Mary: Egypt’s last attempt at sanity in the Middle East before regional war

On Sunday, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif issued an urgent appeal to Arab and Muslim nations to end ongoing conflicts, calling for an immediate and comprehensive cessation of hostilities and the formation of a joint mediation committee to help de-escalate tensions across the region.

In its appeal, Al-Azhar urged Arab and Muslim countries to “uphold the spirit of fraternity and the bonds of faith, kinship, and shared language”, while calling on all parties to “give precedence to wisdom; embrace reason and dialogue” to halt the fighting and destruction.

The institution also called for the urgent establishment of a Mediation and De-escalation Committee comprising representatives from across the Arab and Muslim worlds, selected from among “respected, wise, and principled figures sincerely committed to peace, reconciliation, and stability”.

Citing the Quran, Al-Azhar said the appeal was inspired by the verse: “And if two groups of believers fight each other, then make peace between them” (49:9).

The proposed committee would be tasked with taking immediate action to defuse ongoing crises, bridge differences between the parties concerned, and resolve disputes among members of the same faith and Ummah (Islamic community).

According to Al-Azhar, the initiative aims to safeguard the strength and sovereignty of Arab nations, protect their peoples and preserve their resources for future generations.

Al-Azhar affirmed its readiness to support the committee, expressing confidence in the ability of all parties to overcome their differences, put past disputes behind them and prevent further bloodshed.

It urged all sides to “place the common good above all other considerations” and protect innocent lives, while praying for the region to be spared “the horrors and suffering of war and conflict”.

This is not simply a statement calling for unity in a turbulent region. It is an unusual statement issued at an unusual time and received unusually.

The statement came hours after a meeting of Egypt’s National Defence Council, which pledged to provide all necessary and possible support to Saudi Arabia in defending its borders amid escalating attacks against the kingdom, which it described as unacceptable.

The council also said Egypt would continue its efforts to contain the escalation and pursue political solutions to ensure security and stability across the region.

El-Sisi chaired the council’s meeting at Al-Ittihadiya Palace on Sunday morning, following his call on Saturday for parliamentary authorisation to provide defensive assistance to Saudi Arabia, if requested, in accordance with the Constitution. “Lots and lots of things were said in that speech, whether it was El-Sisi announcing that he would not run for office again, in accordance with the Constitution, or his proposed new, unconstitutional requirements for running for office in 2030. But we are living in the present, and this is the most urgent issue: deploying the armed forces abroad if Saudi Arabia requests assistance in defending itself.”

The presidential spokesperson said the council reviewed regional developments, particularly what it described as unacceptable attacks against Saudi Arabia.

The council reaffirmed Egypt’s full support for and solidarity with Saudi Arabia, citing the historic relations and strong bonds between the two peoples, who together constitute the heart of the Arab nation.

It also stressed that Saudi national security is closely linked to Egyptian and Arab national security.

Shortly after that important meeting, the Egyptian House of Representatives held its first plenary session to consider granting El-Sisi authorisation to send Egyptian troops to Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom if the Saudi government officially requests military assistance.

Article 152 of the Egyptian Constitution prohibits the president from declaring war or deploying the armed forces on a combat mission outside the country’s borders without first consulting the National Defence Council and obtaining the approval of two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives.

It was announced that the House of Representatives would take three days, from Sunday to Tuesday, to hold the final vote.

Given that approval requires two-thirds of parliament’s 596 members, approximately 397 MPs would need to vote in favour.

Al-Azhar’s announcement — or, rather, its appeal, if not a Hail Mary — came at the climax of the events following El-Sisi’s speech. What reinforced my point of view was the way mainstream and pro-regime media in Egypt circulated the statement.

On Monday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a telephone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, stressing the importance of de-escalation, negotiations and respect for Gulf security.

The two men had already discussed regional de-escalation efforts in Baghdad on Saturday, including the need to halt attacks against Saudi Arabia.

On the same day, the Egyptian parliament held its second session, but not all MPs attended because they had to take part in Egypt Forum 2026, which El-Sisi inaugurated and which runs from 19 to 24 October to discuss the achievements of the Egyptian government.

Yes, it is as simple as that: they did not realise that the two events overlapped.

At the same time, we began to see more opposition and reluctance from some Egyptian political parties, mostly among the usual opposition parties.

The Egyptian Social Democratic Party (SDP) announced that its 11-member parliamentary bloc would abstain from voting on the proposed authorisation, citing a lack of sufficient information about the mission’s objectives, scope, duration and costs, as well as the risks to Egyptian troops.

In a statement, the party’s political bureau said it supported Saudi Arabia’s security and recognised the close link between Gulf stability and Egypt’s national security. However, it argued that any military deployment abroad required clear objectives, safeguards for Egyptian forces and an assessment of its political, military and economic consequences.

The party also called for diplomatic efforts to be prioritised and institutional Arab defence cooperation to be strengthened to avoid open-ended military commitments.

According to independent news website Al-Manassa, discussions over the authorisation during Monday’s parliamentary session lasted only around an hour and a half.

Several MPs joined the list of lawmakers abstaining from the vote, in addition to the SDP bloc, while others openly objected to granting the authorisation. They included Zakaria Hassan, deputy chair of the House of Representatives’ Religious Affairs and Endowments Committee.

MP Ahmed Farghaly, a member of the House of Representatives’ Economic Affairs Committee, also abstained from the vote, citing Egypt’s difficult economic situation and the need to protect the lives of Egyptian soldiers.

He also warned that Egypt’s participation in the war could negatively affect the Suez Canal and the wider economy.

Meanwhile, three major pro-government parties have backed the proposed deployment of Egyptian troops to Saudi Arabia on a defensive mission.

Together, the parties hold 392 of the 596 seats in Egypt’s parliament, just six short of the 398 votes required to authorise the deployment.

Then House Speaker Hisham Badawy announced — “Most Egyptians truly ignore his name” — that the sessions would be adjourned until next Monday, 26 October 2026.

In a tweet following the news of the session’s adjournment, MP Mostafa Bakry said that the Egyptian government was pursuing diplomatic efforts to reach a political solution to the Yemen crisis, including discussions between the Egyptian and Iranian foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s foreign ministers’ meeting.

The talks had agreed to maintain communication to advance an initiative calling for an end to hostilities against Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, safeguarding freedom of navigation and securing maritime routes, and launching a political process leading to negotiations on a settlement, he said in a lengthy tweet.

El-Bakry also hinted that an initiative by Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb to end ongoing conflicts was prompting further developments, with important consultations under way.

It is indeed a Hail Mary attempt.

Outside parliament, the Hope Current Party, led by Ahmed Tantawy and currently under formation, warned against drawing Egypt into regional military conflicts, saying this could undermine national security and regional stability.

The party opposed deploying Egyptian troops beyond the country’s borders, urging Egypt to act as an impartial mediator in the Saudi-Yemeni conflict rather than side with either party, particularly amid security challenges along its borders and in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.

The party also praised Al-Azhar’s call for an immediate end to hostilities and the formation of a mediation committee, stressing that Egypt’s position should prioritise “protecting every Arab life without exception” and pursuing peace.

The Democratic Civil Movement took a similar position, announcing its rejection of the Egyptian armed forces’ involvement in any regional war in support of any party to the conflict.

The movement stressed that “Egypt’s national interests must be the primary determinant of any decision in this regard”, rejecting any Egyptian position dictated by “instructions from any external party”.

Several public figures began to speak up, particularly after Al-Azhar’s statement was issued and widely circulated in the media.

I would be lying if I said that the Egyptian people welcomed, or wanted, the prospect of sending their sons to fight in Yemen again, especially now.

Some Egyptians would not oppose sending a couple of battalions of Egyptian air defence forces to defend the Holy Land in Mecca and Medina — and that is all.

Above all, Egyptians do not want their army to become embroiled in a war imposed by the US and Israel against Iran, especially following Benjamin Netanyahu’s threats and maps.

Most importantly, Egyptians want to ask questions rather than simply be told, “It is just a defence mission, trust us.” This is not the 1960s.

Personally, I am praying that this Hail Mary by Al-Azhar and the Egyptian administration succeeds, and that we do not have to send anyone anywhere beyond Egypt’s borders.

So far, Saudi Arabia has not officially or publicly requested military assistance from Egypt.

Egypt has already deployed air defence units and fighter jets to Gulf states to help defend them, as in the case of the UAE in May, when Sisi visited Abu Dhabi and inspected an Egyptian fighter jet unit.

However, the deployment took place without parliamentary authorisation, and no explanation was provided to the public.