The ‘Egyptian Family House’ which is a project of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar received the Imam Al-Hasan Award in Abu Dhabi
During the conference organised by the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, chaired by Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), hosted a ceremony to honour the ‘Egyptian Family House’, which won the Imam Al-Hasan bin Ali Award of 2017. The award was received by senior representatives of the Egyptian Family House Dr Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq (Secretary General) and Anba Ermia (Assistant Secretary General). Also present at the ceremony were Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan (Minister of Tolerance) and Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah (President of the Forum).
The ‘Egyptian Family House’ is an initiative that represents a model of religious coexistence in Egypt. Established in 2011, the Egyptian Family House was first conceived by the Grand Imam Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb Shaykh al-Azhar, and the late Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda of Alexandria. With its headquarters in Cairo, the Egyptian Family House consists of Muslim scholars, clerics from the Coptic Church, representatives of various Christian faiths in Egypt, and a number of Egyptian intellectuals.
The ‘Egyptian Family House’ aims to preserve the fabric of Muslim-Christian unity within the Egyptian society, by following a number of means to achieve this end; notably, reaffirming the noble values and common characteristics between the various religions and cultures; establishing a new discourse that caters to the needs of the youth, to encourage peace, and the rejection of hatred and violence; promoting cooperation and coexistence among citizens; monitoring and proposing preventive means to maintain social peace; and training Imams and priests in various parts of the country to acquaint followers with other faiths to maintain social peace.
The conference was also attended by the Deputy to the Grand Imam, Dr Abbas Shoman, and the Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawqi Allam, who both addressed the conference. The UK Branch of the World Association for Al-Azhar Graduates (WAAG UK) congratulates the Grand Imam on this important initiative and its recognition as a beacon model by the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies.
