Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb said on Wednesday that the institution exerted a great amount of effort to counter extremist thought and worked to build bridges of cooperation and understanding among various civilisations. The grand imam made the remarks during his meeting with US Chargé d'Affaires in Cairo Thomas Goldberger on Wednesday.
Al-Azhar had been keen on communicating and cooperating with religious institutions in Egypt and abroad, topped by the Vatican, the Canterbury Cathedral and the World Council of Churches, said El-Tayeb.
Those efforts reflected Al-Azhar's interest in exchanging views with various cultures, he added.
He stressed that Al-Azhar was ready to cooperate with various institutions in the US to help revive peace based on mutual coexistence and respect of others.
Goldberger praised El-Tayeb's vision on peace, communication and coexistence among followers of various religions and civilisations.