During a meeting on Tuesday with H.E. Isabelle Rome, the French Ambassador for Human Rights, His Eminence Prof. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, discussed key issues regarding rights and freedoms, exploring avenues to foster dialogue on the standards governing these rights in both the East and the West.
The Grand Imam highlighted a distinct divergence between Eastern and Western perspectives on human rights. He stressed the necessity of forging a consensus around genuine, universally embraced human rights to prevent their advocacy from being instrumentalized to impose specific viewpoints or interfere in the domestic affairs, traditions, and faiths of nations. "Otherwise," His Eminence noted, "they morph into dictates that risk turning human rights advocacy into a gateway for interfering in the internal affairs, customs, and beliefs of nations."
Regrettably, the Grand Imam observed, contemporary human advancement has not kept pace with scientific progress, bringing instead a regression in the core values of equality. He pointed out a conceptual distortion regarding rights today, noting that certain practices viewed as rights in the West are perceived by the East as a direct threat to the family structure. He emphasized that the crux of current conflicts does not lie within religions, but rather in their exploitation to justify wars and usurp rights, citing the ongoing tragedy in Gaza as a stark testament.
The Grand Imam affirmed that drawing upon religious and moral values—foremost among which are the sanctity of human life and the preservation of family rights—is the swiftest path toward global fraternity. He cited Al-Azhar’s successful initiatives, such as the historic 2019 Document on Human Fraternity signed with the Vatican, and the "Egyptian Family House" (Bayt Al-‘Aila Al-Masriya), which brings together Al-Azhar scholars and Egyptian church leaders to entrench peaceful coexistence and curb sectarian strife.
For her part, Ambassador Isabelle Rome expressed her profound appreciation for Al-Azhar’s pivotal role in disseminating global peace and positive coexistence. She affirmed that human rights should unite rather than divide nations, clarifying that the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights was designed to end brutality, not to impose unacceptable cultural patterns on sovereign countries. She concluded by stressing that cultural and religious diversity must be respected, and lauded the Egyptian Family House as an exemplary model built upon genuine fraternity, equality, and mutual understanding.