Overview
Al-Azhar Alumni UK serves as the networking and outreach branch of the World Organization for Al-Azhar Graduates, a subsidiary of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt—the historic and pre-eminent seat of Islamic learning. Chaired by the Grand Imam, Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar, the World Organization for Al-Azhar Graduates has held Special Consultative Status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council. Al-Azhar Alumni UK is facilitated by Jamia Al-Karam, an educational institution established in 1985, which has benefited from academic affiliations with various faculties of Al-Azhar University over the years. The branch plays a pivotal role in bridging the rich legacy of Islamic scholarship at Al-Azhar with the modern Western world, promoting dialogue, education, and mutual understanding.
The concept of establishing the World Organization for Al-Azhar Graduates was first introduced during the inaugural World Symposium for Al-Azhar Graduates, held in Cairo from 12th to 14th Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1427 AH (11th to 13th April 2006). During the symposium, participants identified the need for a global platform to strengthen ties between Al-Azhar University and its graduates worldwide. This envisioned entity was tasked with advancing Al-Azhar’s universal mission of moderation, safeguarding the identity and heritage of the Islamic community, and defending the principles and values of Islam against distortion and misrepresentation. As a result, the World Organization for Al-Azhar Graduates was formally established as a non-governmental organisation registered in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Its founding members included several esteemed scholars, among them the late Shaykh of Al-Azhar, Dr Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the late Professor Dr Mahmoud Hamdi Zakzouk, and the current Shaykh of Al-Azhar, Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb.
On 26th April 2011, Jamia Al-Karam, based at Eaton Hall in Retford, Nottinghamshire, was officially approved as the institution establishing the UK branch of the World Organization for Al-Azhar Graduates, with a mandate to represent Al-Azhar throughout the region. Subsequently, on 25th June 2011, Al-Azhar Alumni UK was formally inaugurated in a ceremony graced by the presence of the late Shaykh Professor Dr Abdul Fadeel al-Qousy (then Vice-Chairman), Mr Usama Yasin (former Vice-Chairman), and Dr Abdel Dayem Nusear (Secretary-General).
