Mixed reactions over Al-Azhar Imam’s call to end war in Ukraine

A call by the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar, one of the highest seats of Sunni Islamic learning, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayyeb, to end the war in Ukraine has received mixed reactions from social media users.

“We are witnessing Ukrainian civilians leave their homes in quest of safety and security, which is a true test of our humanity,” El-Tayyeb said in a statement on Facebook and Twitter.

“I call on the international community to increase humanitarian aid to Ukraine and exert further efforts to end the war,” he added.

While some social media users welcomed the posts, others criticised him for not condemning the persecution of vulnerable Muslims around the world.

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“What about the Uyghurs, the Rohingya and the Muslims of India? Or did they come to us from the moon, and we are not related to them by brotherhood of religion? Isn’t it better that we stand up to the Hindus who terrified Muslim women before we look into the matter of the Christian Ukrainian women?” one social media user said.

Another reminded the Sheikh of Europe’s “racist policies” against Arabs and Africans at the Polish border, as well as support for Israel against the Palestinian people.