Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Shaykh Ahmed el-Tayeb; Cairo, Egypt
Shaykh Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed el-Tayeb (born January 6, 1946) is the current Grand Imam of al-Azhar and former president of al-Azhar University. He was appointed by the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, following the death of Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy in 2010. He is considered to be one of the most moderate Sunni clerics in Egypt. He holds a Ph.D in Islamic philosophy from the Paris-Sorbonne University and has been president of Al-Azhar University since 2003. Between 2002 and 2003, Shaykh el-Tayeb served as Grand Mufti of Egypt. Shaykh El-Tayeb is a hereditary Sufi shaykh from Upper Egypt and has expressed support for a global Sufi league.
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