Al-Azhar : Unfairly Victimized !,by Dr. Yassin El-Ayouty, Esq.

The Egyptian Constitution of 2014 exalts Al-Azhar . Yet the attacks on that institution of moderation { Al-Wassatiyah } keep on coming . From a historical perspective , Al-Azhar is blameless . It is a mosque , a university , a minaret to be seen by nearly 400 million Arabs and nearly 2 billion Muslims. 

More importantly , it is the only institution which is capable of giving the Muslim Brotherhood a failing grade . No government in Cairo could match Al-Azhar in pan-Islamic credibility . That is because no minaret is taller in symbolism that Al-Azhar's four minarets . And no impact on Egyptian communal harmony can be greater than an El-Tayieb hosting Towadros !! . I could feel that magnetism as a guest in 2018 invited by Al-Azhar . 

At thar event , Pope Twoadros spoke for 7 minutes , and Abbas { Abu-Mazen } spoke for 70 minutes . Guess who had the greater impact ? . Twodros !! . How could I tell ? . The French delegation , next to whom I sat , said to me " Abbas is an idiot " . That is because Abbas kept on repeating " Come see us in Jerusalem " . Is that his definition of liberation ? . 

Yes , Al-Azhar can provide a glorious pulpit . But it cannot impart wisdom to a speaker who lacks it . And Abbas is in that latter category . Like all institutions of human creation , Al-Azhar needs renewal . But renewal of what ? . Of its capability of communication in an inter-faith context . 

This is where Al-Azhar needs renewal . Not in its message { Al-Khetab Al-Deeny } . But in the adequacy of its translation from Arabic into other languages . Al-Azhar's Marssad pretends to be effective . Yet its translations are simply below the rediculous . They translate words , not meanings . When I addressed them in 2017 , I was depressed by their under-education. 

The problem does not lie at the dood of Dr. El-Taiyeb . It lies at the door of Al-Azhar's Human Resources Administration . They need to do what the UN does . Recruitment , not by certificates , but by competitive exams . Without the intervention of A WASSTAH !! . 

And the State also has a huge role : To simply shut up shouting : " Inta Fain Ya Azhar ? " . My answer to that escapist yell would be : Al-Azhar Is Fi Al-Darrasah , next to Fatimide Cairo . Would you please get off Al-Azhar's back ? . It did not start the fire !! . The State did , when it used Islam to battle its adversaries . And it was the Islamists who killed Sadat . Al-Azhar's hands have never had blood on it . That is because Al-Azhar is a large idea , and not a banner . And banners could be stained . Ideas which advocate peace and forgiveness are immune from staining . As a teacher at law schools of " immunities " , allow me to assert an Azhar immunity from the consequences of educational decline , especially in the Egyptian street . 

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Dr. Yassin El-Ayouty, Esq.