CAIRO: The grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the country’s top Islamic authority, offered greetings to Coptic Pope Tawadros II on the occasion of Easter.
Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb met the pope on Sunday morning at the papal headquarters at the St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abbassiya, Cairo.
Tawadros described Al-Tayyeb’s visit to the cathedral by saying “it reflects love, affection and the bond between him and Al-Azhar’s Grand Sheikh,” Al-Masry el-Youm newspaper reported.
In a statement, the Al-Azhar Imam said the brotherly ties binding Egypt’s Muslim and Christian communities set a model for co-existence and tolerance.
Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, has received several high dignitaries and state officials who expressed their greetings to Egypt’s copts in celebration of Easter.
Easter marks the end of a 55-day period of fasting for Copts.
The country’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam and Minister of Religious Endowments Mokhtar Gomaa also visited the cathedral to extend their best wishes.
Azhar grand imam visits Coptic pope to offer Easter greetings
Azhar grand imam visits Coptic pope to offer Easter greetings
50,000 perform Ramadan Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Worshippers gather amid heightened tensions in occupied West Bank
- Hundreds of Jerusalemites ordered not to enter mosque during holy month
LONDON: About 50,000 Palestinian worshippers performed the Isha and Ramadan Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.
The crowds gathered despite Israeli military checkpoints and strict identity checks at the mosque’s gates, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
Palestinians are observing the Muslim holy month, which began on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, including attacks by settlers and raids and arrests by the Israeli army.
More than 300 Jerusalemites recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli forces have increased their military presence in Jerusalem and restricted access to the mosque for children under 12, men over 55 and women over 50.
Since Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians have lined up to pass through military checkpoints, including at Qalandiya and Bethlehem, in the hope of attending prayers at Al-Aqsa.
