Egypt counters Turkey’s influence in Mali via Al-Azhar
Egypt seeks more influence in Mali through Al-Azhar, which is organizing a training program for a number of Malian imams in a bid to counter extremism.
As Egypt steps up its efforts to boost its influence in the African continent, Al-Azhar announced Aug. 2 a training course for 23 imams and preachers from Mali to fight radicalism.
Hassan al-Saghir, chairman of Al-Azhar International Academy said in a statement, “The goal behind the training course is to enable Malian imams to correct the misconceptions and wrong ideas about Islam and to counter extremism.”
Mamadou Mangara, Mali’s ambassador to Cairo, said in a statement that his “country hopes that the trained imams can confront the ideas promoted by extremists.”
Al-Azhar has a strong presence in Mali. In a meeting with Mali’s Prime Minister Moussa Mara back in 2014, Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb announced “the deployment of sheikhs and professors from Al-Azhar to work in Mali’s education sector so as to instill the values of peace and moderation in the students’ hearts.”
