Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar, the world's leading Sunni institution, called on Monday on Muslims in the Middle East to "embrace" local Christian communities. El-Tayyeb's comments came in a televised speech in the Abu Dhabi, UAE, in a ceremony attended by the Vaticn's Pope Francis, who is on his first ever visit to the Arabian Peninsule, the birthplace of Islam.
The Pontiff had arrived in Abu-Dhabi on Sunday night on a three-day trip to promote interfaith dialogue and visit the Catholic peripheries.
El-Tayyeb flew on Sunday to Abu-Dhabi to meet with Pope Francis on the sidelines of the Human Fraternity Conference and to attend the event, which is being organized by the Emirates.
Addressing communities of the Christian faith, El-Tayyeb stressed "You are part of this nation... You are not minorities."
He also called on Muslims in the west to integrate in their host nations and respect local laws.
