wfn.org | ACNS3662 Al Azhar Agreement enhanced by Cambridge visit

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3662     |     ENGLAND	|     4 NOVEMBER 2003 

Al Azhar Agreement enhanced by Cambridge visit

[ACNS source: NIFCON] The visit to Ridley Hall Theological College,
Cambridge, England by Shaykh Fawzy El-Zafzaf, President of the Committee
for Dialogue with the Monotheistic Faiths of Al Azhar, the renowned
Islamic university and Centre in Cairo, Egypt, marks a significant new
development in the building of relations between the Anglican Communion
and Al Azhar.

As part of the agreement signed by Archbishop Carey, then Archbishop of
Canterbury, and Shaykh Tantawy, the Grand Shaykh of Al Azhar in January
2002, the two parties committed themselves not only to regular
'dialogue' meetings, but also to find other ways in which they might
learn more about the faith of each other. It was agreed to seek to
establish reciprocal study visits in which staff and students of Al
Azhar would spend time at Anglican theological institutions, and
Anglican theologians and theological students would similarly visit Al
Azhar. Shaykh Fawzy's visit to Ridley Hall, 5-11 October 2003, during
which he was accompanied by Bishop Mouneer Anis, the Anglican Bishop of
Egypt and North Africa will, it is hoped, prove to be the first of a
number of such exchanges.

During his time at Ridley Hall, Shaykh Fawzy learned at first hand more
about the training of Anglican clergy, as well as meeting with a number
of key theologians, such as Professor David Ford and others from
Cambridge's prestigious Divinity Faculty. Shaykh Fawzy commented how
useful he had found the visit. He also expressed his belief that the
visit was a visible expression of the love that existed between the
Muslim and Christian communities of faith, and that the willingness of
Al Azhar to participate in such an experience was a clear sign of how
Muslims wished to reach out in friendship to others. 

Canon Christopher Cocksworth, the Principal of Ridley Hall, said,
"Ridley Hall was honoured to host a week long visit of Shaykh Fawzy el
Zefzaf and Bishop Mouneer Anis. The visit gave us - an Anglican
Evangelical Theological College - the opportunity to extend our
hospitality to a distinguished Muslim cleric, to improve our
understanding of Islam and to explain Christian faith to him. We hope
that it has encouraged Sheikh Fawzy in his vital bridge-building work
between the faiths.

The study visit by Shaykh Fawzy was administered and facilitated by the
Network for Inter Faith Concerns of the Anglican Communion (NIFCON)
acting on behalf of the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Clare Amos
Coordinator, NIFCON

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