CAIRO: Egyptian Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa spoke highly of American President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim world in Cairo, describing the speech as a positive indicator of a new era of good relations between the US and the Arab and Muslim world. Hosted by El-Beit Betak talk show on Thursday night, Gomaa said he hoped that the American president would continue with his efforts to establish "full peace and justice in the region. Gomaa also called on the president to fulfill his promise to step up his role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other conflicts in the region. The Grand Mufti added that the Muslim world, likewise, seeks to establish a stronger relationship with the west that is based "on the principles of respect and partnership for the welfare of both sides. He supported Obama's belief that no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any another in the effort to establish strong bonds between the west and Islam. The mufti added that Obama's choice of Egypt to make his speech is an admission of the importance and powerful role of Egypt in the Muslim world, especially that Egypt is home to Al-Azhar, the world's largest and oldest Islamic institution. Similar statements were made by President of Al-Azhar University, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, who welcomed Obama's visit and described his speech as "building a bridge of positive dialogue between different civilizations and cultures that will benefit all humans and spread the concepts of peace, justice and mutual respect. Furthermore, the Islamic Research Center of Al-Azhar issued a statement in which it expressed its satisfaction with both the speech and the visit. The statement acknowledged Obama's appreciation of Islam and the great role that Islam played throughout history that led "the world to become a better place, advance and develop in different areas. "Scholars at the Islamic Research Center assure that there are many areas in which both the Islamic world and the US can cooperate, such as fighting terrorism, defending moral values like peace and justice, spreading those values, and working together to end all misconceptions and stereotypes of Islam.
