Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is set to open Al-Azhar's International Conference on the Renewal of Islamic Thought on Monday, presidency spokesman Bassam Rady told state run MENA agency. The conference, due to be held on Monday and Tuesday, focuses on means of renewing religious discourse, refuting misconceptions about Islam, discussing women and family issues, as well as the roles of the religious, academic, and international institutions in this regard. It is scheduled to also include representatives of the Ministry of Religious Endowments (Awqaf), Dar Al-Efta, the highest institution tasked with deciding religious questions and affiliated with Egypt's Al-Azhar, as well as Muslim councils from 46 Muslim countries. The grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, said in earlier press statements that the conference will help achieve the institution's message in demonstrating the tolerance of Islam and renouncing extremism. The Egyptian President has repeatedly stressed in recent years the importance of having balanced religious discourse to confront extremism and radical ideology, blaming outdated religious discourse for holding Egypt back, and often calling on Islamic clerics to reform their religious speech to confront extremist ideology.
