CAIRO — Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb's kind words about Buddhism during a conference designed to promote peace sparked controversy among Muslims.

Tayeb headed the conference, "Toward a Civilized Humanitarian Dialogue for Myanmar Citizens,” which was held Jan. 3-4 in Cairo by the Muslim Council of Elders. The council seeks to quell violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and the Rohingya Muslim minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar (formerly Burma).

During the peace conference, Tayeb directed his address to the estimated 500 million people in the world who espouse Buddhism. With his speech, he called for halting bloodshed and working to soften the hearts of people in the areas with the most religious intolerance.

“Buddhism is a humanitarian and ethical religion in the first place," Tayeb said at the conference. "The wise, silent Buddha is a great figure in human history. His attributes include calm and rationality. The world’s great historians described his message as [one] of everlasting mercy and characterized him as peaceful and humble. His teachings focus on loving and being charitable toward others.”