Grand Imam Faces Backlash for Wishing Christians a Merry Christmas

Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, has experienced backlash for wishing Christians across the world a merry Christmas on 25 December. أهنئ إخوتي وأصدقائي الأعزاء البابا فرنسيس، والبابا تواضروس، ورئيس أساقفة كانتربري د. جاستن ويلبي، وبطريرك القسطنطينية برثلماوس الأول، وقادة الكنائس، والإخوة المسيحيين في الشرق والغرب بأعياد الميلاد، وأدعو الله أن يعلو صوت الأخوَّة والسلام، ويسود الأمان والاستقرار في كل مكان. — أحمد الطيب (@alimamaltayeb) December 25, 2022 His original tweet read: “I congratulate my dear brothers and friends Pope Francis, Pope Tawadros II, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Justin Welby, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople along with other church leaders and all Christian brothers in the East and West for the occasion of Christmas.” Al-Tayeb followed up with a second tweet, “pray[ing] to Allah that the voice of brotherhood and peace will be louder, and that safety and stability will prevail everywhere.” Responses to al-Tayeb have been polarised between supportive and inflamed, with many either saluting the Imam for his tolerance or disparaging him for allegedly straying from his beliefs. اتق الله ياشيخ “ماذا عملت فيما علمت؟ ” أعد للسؤال جواباً وعالمٌ بعلمه لم يعملن معذبٌ من قَبل عباد…

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