CAIRO — Egypt’s Al-Azhar has tried to distance itself from an Islamic conference held in the Chechen capital late last month, after the forum’s closing statement received sharp criticism for implying that Salafist and Wahhabi groups, which are prominent in Saudi Arabia, were not part of Sunni Islam.
The conference — held in Grozny Aug. 25-27 under the title “Who are the Sunnis?” — was attended by Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb and a large Egyptian delegation. While Al-Azhar officials have downplayed their role in the conference, the consequences of what happened are still unclear, particularly concerning its impact on relations between Cairo and Riyadh. The latter has been a prominent supporter of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi since the June 30, 2013, revolution.
