PM Modi meets Egypt's Grand Mufti, discusses countering extremism, radicalisation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has discussed Egypt-India ties as well as issues related to promoting social harmony and countering extremism and radicalisation with the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam.

On his first state visit to Egypt, the Prime Minister apprised the Grand Mufti that India would set up a Centre of Excellence in IT at the Dar-al-Ifta - an Egyptian advisory body for Islamic legal research - under the Ministry of Social Justice of Egypt.

The Grand Mufti also appreciated the Prime Minister’s leadership in fostering inclusivity and pluralism, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on the meeting held on Saturday.

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The Grand Mufti fondly recalled his recent visit to India and highlighted the strong cultural and people-to-people relations between India and Egypt.

Discussions also focused on issues related to social and religious harmony in society and countering extremism and radicalisation, the press release said.

"I was honoured to meet the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawky Ibrahim Allam. We had rich discussions on the relations between India and Egypt, especially the cultural and people-to-people ties," Prime Minister Modi tweeted after his meeting.

“I was honoured to meet Prime Minister Modi. It was a very nice and interesting meeting. In fact, he reflects a wise leadership for a big country like India,” the Grand Mufti said.

He said he had earlier met Modi at one of the Sufi conferences in Delhi.

“Between the two meetings, I have noticed that there is a great development in India. It reflects that he is continuously working in India. It also reflects the wise policies being adopted by Prime Minister Modi bringing co-existence between various factions in India,” he said.

“At the religious level, we have strong cooperation between us and India and we are looking forward to further enhancing and deepening this cooperation,” the Grand Mufti said.

The Grand Mufti visited India last month at the invitation of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

In an article written ahead of his visit to India, the Grand Mufti referred to statements by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the need for cooperation and bridge-building in a challenging world.

Though such overtures have been welcomed by many, he said practical steps were needed to turn such good wishes into a sustained relationship of mutual trust and respect.

“This is the message I wish to deliver on behalf of the Muslim world in India this week,” he had written.

In 2013, Dr Allam became the first elected Grand Mufti of Egypt. He holds the office of the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide - an umbrella organisation that was created to coordinate among more than 100 fatwa authorities globally.