ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Egypt Aamer Shouket recently met the country’s Grand Mufti Dr. Nazir Mohammed Ayyad to discuss the need for interfaith harmony, the threat posed by hate speech and religious education cooperation between the two countries, the Pakistani embassy in Cairo said.
Pakistan has made a conscious effort to promote religious pluralism and faith-based tourism in recent years, welcoming Buddhist monks as well as Hindu and Sikh devotees from India and other countries. However, the country continues to grapple with significant challenges, as religious minorities often complain of discrimination and marginalization in Pakistan.
Shouket met Dr. Ayyad in Cairo at Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta, the country’s pioneer foundation that issues religious verdicts on various issues, the Pakistani embassy said on Sunday.
“The meeting discussed matters related to issues and challenges facing the Muslim world,” the statement said. “Hate speech was identified as a threat to peace and interfaith harmony.”
The Pakistani ambassador also expressed satisfaction over the existing cooperation between Islamabad and Cairo in religious education, the embassy said.
“The Ambassador admired the role of Al-Azhar scholars toward spreading the true spirit of Islam across the world,” it added.
Dr. Ayyad stated that Pakistan was “very well respected” in Egyptian society as a prominent Muslim country, the embassy said. The Egyptian grand mufti recalled his recent visit to Pakistan where he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and expressed his best wishes and prayers for the people of Pakistan.
Pakistan and Egypt enjoy cordial ties that date back several decades. Egypt plans to establish a campus of its Al-Azhar University, one of the world’s oldest centers of Islamic education, in Pakistan.
