First In 1,000 Years, Grand Imam Of Al Azhar Appoints Female Advisor

Egypt's Grand Imam Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb. (Twitter/@arabnews)

JAKARTA - Egypt's Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb, has appointed a female advisor for the first time.

The woman he appointed was Dr. Nahla Al Saeedy. He confirmed his appointment as Imam's adviser on expatriate affairs in a Facebook post on Monday.

She became the first woman to hold an advisory position to the Grand Imam in Al Azhar's 1,000-year history, reports The National News September 20.

Al Saeedy previously held two positions at Al Azhar: Dean of the College of Islamic Studies for Expatriates and Head of the Center for International Student Education Development.

“Women are the basis for building pious families and civilized societies. Islam stipulates respect and respect for women and that the relationship between a married couple should be based on love, mutual respect and affection. Because a wife is the mother of a man's children, the keeper of his secrets and the source of happiness," El-Tayyeb said in a tweet, citing Ahram online.

In a telephone conversation with CBC TV channel, Al Saeedy described his appointment as a responsibility, an honor he is very proud of.

"Through this decision, the Sheikh underlined his appreciation of the role that women play in Al Azhar's work. This award is something that Al Azhar women have become accustomed to under the Sheikh's leadership," he said.

He further said the appointment was part of a 10-year strategy by Al Azhar, which goes hand in hand with the Egyptian government's 2030 vision plan, to renew many sectors of the country to be more effective, sustainable and reflect the modernization scheme of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's Government.

Although generally considered a moderate Islamic institution, Al Azhar has received a number of criticisms over the past few years, following its comments on some of the country's most high-profile cases.

The High Priest was criticized by women's rights groups and activists for his claim in a 2019 television interview, "equality between men and women is against nature."

The institution was again lambasted online in 2020, when a wave of arrests of female content creators made national headlines, with comments from Al Azhar clerics described as "misogynistic" at the time.

Egypt has taken steps to empower women, include them in the decision-making process, including through an increase in the number of female ministers as well as lawmakers and in judicial institutions.

El-Tayyeb's decision came after an important decision last year by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, allowing women to work in judicial positions on the State Council and in Public Prosecution two judicial bodies that until now are only filled with men for the first time in state history.