Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism

Five people killed in shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California

Five people were killed in an armed attack on Monday at the Islamic Center in San Diego, California, including two teenagers who are thought to have been the shooters.

Following up closely on this tragic attack, the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism AOCE notes that such incident underscores the urgent need to address the security and protection of places of worship globally. This comes amid a recent surge in security threats facing religious institutions, which global security analyses attribute to the rise of far-right and white nationalist rhetoric.
Consequently, a comprehensive review of security and ideological frameworks is required to combat hate crimes and violent extremism, ensuring the safety of all houses of worship regardless of faith.

The Observatory also highlights the necessity of safeguarding the intellectual security of teenagers, a task that requires concerted institutional efforts from both official and non-official entities to immunize them against misleading ideologies.

A Journey of Self-Purification 🤍

Chasing Peace in a Noisy World

Finding your inner calm in the next 10 days
Life moves incredibly fast, and our minds are often cluttered with endless to-do lists and digital noise. It is exhausting, is not it?

The best antidote to this modern chaos is hidden within the upcoming days of Dhul-Hijjah. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encouraged us to fill these days with tasbeeh (saying Subḥān Allah), Taḥmīd (saying al-ḥamdu li Allah), and takbīr (saying Allah Akbar).

When you repeat these praises during your daily commute or chores, you are not just reciting words—you are anchoring your soul. You are reminding yourself that Allah is greater than any stress or anxiety you carry. It is a beautiful way to purify the heart from worries.
Try it today: Let your tongue stay moist with remembrance, and watch how it softens your heart.

Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Receives British Ambassador to Cairo

His Eminence Prof. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar welcomed His Excellency Mark Bryson-Richardson, the British Ambassador to Cairo, at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif headquarters, to explore avenues of deepening joint cooperation.

During the meeting, the Grand Imam emphasized Al-Azhar’s steadfast commitment to preparing a generation of multilingual scholars at Al-Azhar University. This linguistic proficiency, His Eminence noted, serves as a vital bridge for promoting Al-Azhar's rooted message of moderation and enlightened thought worldwide. He further highlighted Al-Azhar's positive openness to various international cultural and religious institutions to promote the values of human coexistence and global peace.

His Eminence added that Al-Azhar places dialogue and cross-cultural understanding at the very heart of its mission, considering these values the ideal path to counter hate speech and extremism. He underscored that investing in education and building the awareness are among the most critical tools for consolidating global stability and peace.

For his part, the British Ambassador expressed his pleasure at meeting the Grand Imam, voicing his profound appreciation for His Eminence's efforts to cultivate human fraternity and global peace. He reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.