In a surprise visit, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who heads the Front National party, has met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb. During the talks at Al-Azhar’s headquarter’s in Cairo, the Grand Imam of Sunni Islam’s top Islamic authority told Le Pen that Al-Azhar has been seriously concerned by the Front National’s views on Islam. Le Pen, who has often warned against the ‘radical Islamization’ of France and has urged French authorities to crackdown and ‘eradicate’ fundamentalists, was told by Sheikh el-Tayeb that the Front National must correct its opinions about Islam. In a statement, Al-Azhar said it questioned the FN’s “hostile opinions towards Islam and Muslims,” and urged the party to review and correct such opinions. While Le Pen has recently said in an op-ed in the New York Times that “Islamist terrorism is a cancer on Islam, and Muslims themselves must fight it at our side,” Le Pen’s views towards immigration and monitoring of mosques, including her party’s rhetoric after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, have attracted fierce criticism. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Le Pen also criticized Saudi Arabia and Qatar, stating that…
Grand Imam of Al Azhar Tells Leader of Far-Right French Party to “Correct” Views on Islam
May 29, 2015
