CAIRO — New sources of friction keep heating up the conflict between Al-Azhar University and those outside the school seeking to influence the way it's run.
Yasser Kouraa, assistant to the Wafd Party’s head of political and parliamentary affairs, recently suggested amending the university's internal regulations. His proposals would affect the way senior scholars — including Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb — are selected and dismissed, in the name of renewing religious discourse. The proposals have sparked debate and angered Al-Azhar scholars, who see it as an attempt to undermine their roles.