Dr. Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, on Monday stressed the importance of the 3-day international Islamic conference on inter-faith dialogue beginning Wednesday. Sheikh Tantawi praised the initiative of King Abdullah, custodian of the two Holy Mosques, in this regard. He also hailed the efforts exerted by the Kingdom to have a meaningful mechanism to bring people from different faiths across the dialogue table. The MWL conference reflects the Kingdom's position and the leading role it plays in serving Islam and Muslims, he said. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Sheikh Tantawi hoped that the conference's main aim of a dialogue between individuals and groups would result in furthering the interests and well-being of the Muslims worldwide. Sheikh Tantawi will be leading the Egyptian delegation to the conference. The delegation includes Dr. Ali Joma'ah, Egypt's Mufti, Dr. Nasr Farid Wasel, former mufti and a number of senior Islamic scholars. Meanwhile, Dr. Abdulfattah Allam, Al-Azhar Undersecretary and Head of Committee of Dialogue Among Religions, asserted the role of dialogue in reaching common points between individuals and groups and to avoid disputes. Dr. Allam said that Muslims believe in the culture of dialogue with other faiths for world's peace and harmony.
