Latest news with #Al-Azhar
Egypt Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Al-Azhar Al-Sharif expresses solidarity with Qatar, says ‘weapons cannot stop wars'
CAIRO – 24 June 2025: Al-Azhar Al-Sharif expressed on Tuesday its solidarity with the sisterly State of Qatar and called for respect for the independence and sovereignty of states over all their territories. Al-Azhar affirmed that 'clash of weapons' cannot stop wars, and that 'dialogue' leading to a just and lasting peace is the only way to end all wars. Therefore, Al-Azhar stressed its full support for efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace, a rapid cessation of hostilities, and the empowerment of the peoples of developing countries to enjoy a dignified life for themselves, and their children, just as all other peoples who have decided to end any conflict that leads to the shedding of their children's blood enjoy. On Monday, Iranian Armed Forces announced that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar with a devastating and powerful missile attack as part of Operation 'Basharat al-Fatah' [the Herald of the Victory], in retaliation to the US attacks on three Iranian uranium enrichment facilities on Sunday. In a statement, the Iranian IRGC said that its forces bombed the US Al Udeid base in Qatar, the largest strategic asset of the US military in the West Asia region. According to The New York Times, Iran informed Qatar in advance of the attacks in order to minimize casualties However, the Qatari Ministry of Defense announced that Qatari air defenses successfully intercepted a missile attack targeting Al-Udeid Air Base, noting that the incident did not result in any deaths or injuries. Spokesman of Qatari Foreign Ministry Majed Al Ansary stated that Qatar strongly condemned the attack as considered it a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter.
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Azhar expresses solidarity with Qatar, calls for respecting sovereignty of nations - Foreign Affairs
Egypt's Al-Azhar affirmed in a statement on Tuesday its solidarity with Qatar, emphasising the need to respect the independence and sovereignty of all nations over their entire territory. The move follows Iran's recent missile strike on the US Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar. Al-Azhar said the clashing of weapons does not end wars or extinguish their flames, and that only dialogue leading to just and lasting peace can end conflicts and wars sparked by trivial reasons or regional agendas. Al-Azhar further voiced its support for all efforts aimed at achieving lasting and just peace, urging an immediate end to hostilities. Furthermore, it called for enabling the peoples of developing nations to enjoy a dignified life, just as other nations that have chosen to end bloodshed and conflict now do. In its message to the Islamic world, Al-Azhar urged the revival and steadfast adherence to the principle of "just peace" to resolve internal disputes and conflicts. 'Yes to peace—for every living being on this Earth. No to war—not even upon its animals or insects.' Al-Azhar concluded its statement. The Iranian strike on Al-Udeid — the largest US military base in the Middle East — took place on Monday, in what Tehran described as retaliation for American airstrikes on nuclear sites in Iran. The US base had been evacuated as a precaution ahead of the attack. The Iranian attack on Al-Ubeid triggered temporary airspace closures in Qatar and Arab Gulf states, but flights were resumed shortly after. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Azhar urges EU to suspend trade, arms exports to Israel - Foreign Affairs
Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) has urged the European Union (EU) to suspend its trade agreement with Israel and impose a full arms embargo, calling it a 'moral and humanitarian obligation' amid mounting civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The statement came after Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares on Monday called for an immediate review of EU-Israel relations, including suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and blocking arms exports. 'Europe must show courage,' he told reporters following a high-level meeting in Brussels. Support for the Spanish position vis-a-vis Israel is growing within the EU. According to Al-Azhar, Ireland, Belgium, and Slovenia have endorsed a stronger stance. However, any suspension would require unanimous approval—a hurdle unlikely to be cleared given opposition from Austria, Germany, and Hungary. Al-Azhar, a leading religious institution based in Cairo, said continued cooperation with Israel 'undermines the principles of human rights' and weakens trust in international law. It added that inaction in the face of repeated civilian deaths erodes global confidence in United Nations (UN) institutions and legal norms. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has pledged to present policy options at a meeting on 15 July. Still, diplomats say a final decision will likely be deferred to the upcoming European Council summit. Death toll mounts in Gaza At least 71 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday, including 54 people near the US-Israel-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution points, according to Palestinian health officials. A day earlier, 29 others were reported killed, 13 of them while waiting for humanitarian aid. Gaza's health ministry said Israel's war on the Strip has killed nearly 56,000 people since October 2023, most of them women and children. More than 131,000 others have been injured, with many still trapped under rubble. The ongoing Israeli blockade continues to restrict the delivery of basic supplies Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Azhar warns against exploiting theology to justify Zionist aggression - Foreign Affairs
In a statement on Monday, the AOCE cautioned that this theological framing goes beyond political and geographic disputes into the core of religious beliefs. It highlighted specific misinterpretations of Biblical prophecies, particularly the "Gog and Magog" prophecy in the Book of Ezekiel (Chapters 38 and 39), which describes a major battle in the "last days" against the Jews. These groups interpret "Persia," mentioned in this prophecy, as referring to modern-day Iran, which is portrayed as the central adversary in a hostile alliance targeting the Zionist entity, the AOCE said. Per this view, Iran is not merely a regional nuclear threat, but a key figure in an "End Times" scenario. The AOCE added that these interpretations frame the establishment of the Zionist entity in 1948 as the beginning of the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy, and any threat to its existence as a prelude to the so-called "Final Battle" before Christ's second coming. Christian Zionist media widely promotes this narrative in the United States by producing content that links every escalation with Iran to these theological prophecies. According to the AOCE, this bolsters conservative public support for the Zionist entity and shapes the US policymakers' views, which increasingly consider support for Israel as both a religious duty and a strategic necessity. Moreover, the observatory stressed that the Zionist entity uses such theological interpretations to justify its expansionist and aggressive policies against Arab and Islamic nations, fueling instability and violence across the Middle East. The AOCE also warned the international community against the consequences of continued silence over the inhumane crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza, particularly weaponizing starvation and targeting unarmed civilians seeking essential food and medicine. The Al-Azhar observatory urged an immediate halt to systematic killings and called for the urgent and unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as a fundamental human right guaranteed by international covenants and conventions. "The ongoing international silence represnts a moral complicity with the occupation's crimes and undermines the humanitarian values the global order claims to uphold," it concluded.
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Azhar urges EU to suspend trade, arms embargo oni Israel as 'moral duty' - Foreign Affairs
Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) has urged the European Union (EU) to suspend its trade agreement with Israel and impose a full arms embargo, calling it a 'moral and humanitarian obligation' amid mounting civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The statement came after Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares on Monday called for an immediate review of EU-Israel relations, including suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and blocking arms exports. 'Europe must show courage,' he told reporters following a high-level meeting in Brussels. Support for the Spanish position vis-a-vis Israel is growing within the EU. According to Al-Azhar, Ireland, Belgium, and Slovenia have endorsed a stronger stance. However, any suspension would require unanimous approval—a hurdle unlikely to be cleared given opposition from Austria, Germany, and Hungary. Al-Azhar, a leading religious institution based in Cairo, said continued cooperation with Israel 'undermines the principles of human rights' and weakens trust in international law. It added that inaction in the face of repeated civilian deaths erodes global confidence in United Nations (UN) institutions and legal norms. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has pledged to present policy options at a meeting on 15 July. Still, diplomats say a final decision will likely be deferred to the upcoming European Council summit. Death toll mounts in Gaza At least 71 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday, including 54 people near the US-Israel-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution points, according to Palestinian health officials. A day earlier, 29 others were reported killed, 13 of them while waiting for humanitarian aid. Gaza's health ministry said Israel's war on the Strip has killed nearly 56,000 people since October 2023, most of them women and children. More than 131,000 others have been injured, with many still trapped under rubble. The ongoing Israeli blockade continues to restrict the delivery of basic supplies Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
