Britain’s Queen Elizabeth received at Windsor Castle on Thursday al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, who was making his second visit to the Kingdom.
She stressed to the cleric that the world is “counting on religious leaderships to bolster world stability and peace.”
She also hailed the growing ties between al-Azhar and the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Justin Welby.
For his part, Tayeb stressed that al-Azhar greatly values the close ties it enjoys with the archbishopric, which he said is an example of coordination between various religious and cultural leaderships.
He stressed that al-Azhar’s seeks dialogue and communication with all sides in order to cement the values of coexistence and tolerance.
He was in London to take part in the “Youth Forum Peacemakers” that is organized by al-Azhar and the Archbishopric of Canterbury.
Tayeb is residing at the archbishop’s Lambeth Palace during his stay in Britain.
The forum is part of a series of dialogues between eastern and western scholars. The initiative was launched by al-Azhar years ago in order to bridge divides and launch cooperation between the two sides.
The “Youth Forum Peacemakers” is being led by a number of youths in order to coordinate efforts and unify stances on modern issues, such as citizenship, peace and combating extremist thought.
The forum will witness an open dialogue between youths and religious leaders, including Tayeb and Welby.
