The ”Meras” Organization for Development, in partnership with the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives, held a dialogue session, today Saturday morning, in Benghazi entitled (Dialogue Initiatives and their Role in Achieving Stability), with the participation of faculty members at the universities of Benghazi and Al-Bayda, representatives of political parties, and number of activists in civil society organizations.
The session topics included the requirements for establishing upcoming political dialogues and the guarantees required to achieve a sustainable political agreement, in addition to the current challenges and proposed solutions for the success of the political dialogue.
The participants attributed the reasons for the failure of previous dialogues to the absence of transparent representation of the Libyan political and social components, and the intersection of interests between regional intervention and their allies at home, which resulted in multiple paths of dialogue, the inheritance of transiti
onal periods, the absence of the state’s vision in building and planning institutions, and the dialectic of the absence trust between the citizen and the local political complex.
The participants demanded the adoption of an actual constitution to get out of the trenches of foreign interference in internal affairs, the necessity of reconsidering the infrastructure of solid state institutions that have been affected during the past decade by the shadows of the crisis, and not excluding any of the political parties.
This dialogue is the final session of an influential project within the framework of enhancing the role of women in peacemaking, which aims to develop women’s capabilities in the areas of planning, negotiation, and managing political dialogues, and to provide them with several knowledge and skills that will enhance their role in reaching a national consensus that achieves political stability in Libya.
Source: Libyan News Agency
Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, announced on Saturday 20/01/2024 the Sunni Islamic institution’s complete solidarity with Somalia in preserving its territorial unity, condemning external attempts to destabilize it, in his meeting with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud in Cairo.
Somali President Sheikh Mohamud, who arrived in Cairo for a two-day official visit on Saturday as per an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, started his visit with a meeting with Sheikh El-Tayyeb.
According to Al-Azhar statement, the meeting aimed to discuss ways to enhance the scientific and advocacy support of Al-Azhar for the Somali people.
El-Tayyeb welcomed the Somali president to the premises of Al-Azhar, confirming the depth of the historical relationship between Somalia and Al-Azhar.
This relationship has been strengthened through Al-Azhar scholars who were sent to Somalia and the Somali students who played a significant role in shaping the contours of this historical relations
hip, he added.
El-Tayyeb pointed out that there are currently 2200 Somali students studying at various educational levels at Al-Azhar.
Al-Azhar offers 70 scholarships annually to Somali students, and there is an Azhar Institute with 26 Azhari emissaries in Somalia.
Sheikh El-Tayyeb reiterated Al-Azhar’s readiness to allocate a portion of Al-Azhar scholarships for Somali students to study sciences, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, and engineering, alongside the study of Islamic and Arabic sciences to meet the needs of the Somali people.
On his part, Sheikh Mahmoud expressed his delight at the visit of his eminence the grand imam for the second time and his presence at Al-Azhar, praising the significant efforts of El-Tayyeb in promoting the culture of coexistence, global peace, and human brotherhood and confronting extremist ideologies.
Sheikh Mahmoud extended an official invitation to the grand imam to visit Somalia, affirming that this visit would be a significant historical event and a message of solida
rity with the Somali people in the face of extremist groups.
During the visit , the Somali president briefed El-Tayyeb on the current situation in Somalia, noting that the country is engaged in a long battle against externally supported extremist groups trying to divide and destabilize the country.
He emphasized that war against these extremist ideologies is more critical than military warfare, and the Islamic Azharian thought is more important than tanks and military supplies used by Somalia in fighting these groups.
Through moderate Islamic Azharian thought, the youth of Somalia can be fortified with a preventive dose against extremist ideologies, he added.
The Somali president emphasized Somalia’s urgent need for the Azharian approach and scholars, urging Sheikh El-Tayyeb to expand the establishment of Azharian institutes in Somalia, especially at the basic education levels.
Sheikh Mohamud and El-Tayyeb agreed to establish a mini-committee to examine the needs of Somalia.
Source: State Information S
ervice Egypt