GRAND Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayyeb (R) during a meeting with Pope Shenouda III, the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Egypt, in Cairo on Tuesday. Shenouda, the top Coptic cleric, paid a courtesy visit to el-Tayyeb at the Al-Azhar premises to congratulate him on his appointment to head Al-Azhar. "We welcome the Christian Pontiff in Al-Azhar. And this is a great example of the co-existence between Muslims and Christians in Egypt," el- Tayyeb said. He added that, whether Muslims or Christians, the Egyptian people had loved one another throughout history. "We look forward to more co-operation between Al-Azhar and the Church for the progress of our country," the Grand Sheikh added during the meeting. At the end of the visit, he presented Pope Shenouda with silver beads. President Hosni Mubarak appointed el-Tayyeb as the head of Al-Azhar, the nation's most prestigious seat of Sunni Islamic learning, nine days after his predecessor Sheikh Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi died in Saudi Arabia of a heart attack.
