His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand along with Queen Suthida have received Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
His Majesty the King of Thailand welcomed the Grand Imam and expressed his happiness with the visit, praising the efforts of Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders in promoting and enhancing the values of dialogue, peace, tolerance, and human coexistence.
The King of Thailand also emphasised that Al-Azhar is highly respected by the Thai people, who live in harmony and unity. He expressed Thailand’s eagerness to strengthen cooperation and relations with Al-Azhar by increasing the number of incoming students and Al-Azhar emissaries, expanding the accreditation of religious institutes that teach the Al-Azhar curriculum, and coordinating between Al-Azhar and Islamic centres in Thailand.
He noted that Al-Azhar is not only a reference for Thai Muslims but also a global beacon of enlightened and moderate thought.
His Majesty highlighted the keen interest of all Muslim families in Thailand to send their children to study at Al-Azhar, where its graduates hold significant positions in Thai society. He expressed confidence that this historic visit by the Grand Imam would result in the launch of many inspiring initiatives and projects and that Thai Muslims would benefit from the public meetings to be held by Al-Azhar institutions during the Grand Imam’s stay in the country.
In response, the Grand Imam expressed his happiness with his visit to Thailand and appreciation for the warm welcome. He affirmed that Thai students studying at Al-Azhar set an example of ethics and diligence in their studies and have made notable social contributions to various faculties of Al-Azhar University.
He emphasised that Al-Azhar not only graduates students but also strives to maintain communication with its alumni worldwide, making them ambassadors of peace, tolerance, coexistence, and human fraternity.
The Grand Imam also confirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to establish centres for teaching the Arabic language in Thailand, serving Muslims in learning the language of the Quran, intensifying training courses for Thai imams at Al-Azhar Academy, increasing scholarships for Thai Muslims to continue their studies at Al-Azhar, and increasing the number of emissaries to meet the needs of the Thai community.
The Grand Imam further expressed Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders’ willingness to organise a global conference on coexistence in Thailand, with the participation of several religious leaders and figures from around the world, to emphasize the importance of promoting peaceful coexistence and human fraternity.