Dr Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, held a meeting this Sunday morning, with Dr. Mohamed Mukhtar Gomaa, Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments); To discuss joint files and support cooperation between the two ministries, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The Minister of Higher Education confirmed that the aim of the meeting is to discuss the broad lines for forming a committee to discuss procedural and executive matters regarding granting academic degrees to the International Awkaf Academy for imams, preachers, and religious practitioners.
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Dr. Ashour, added the importance of including new programs for students at the International Awkaf Academy in sociology, psychology, philosophy, and other sciences; With the aim of refining the skills of imams and female preachers, developing their capabilities, and developing their professional performance.
Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed on the importance of this joint work between higher education and awqaf, which will be a great addition in the field of broadening the cultural horizon of imams and even those involved in religious affairs in general.
On his part, Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Gomaa thanked the Minister of Higher Education for this cooperation, noting that this meeting came in accordance with the mandates of the political leadership to direct a modern religious discourse that is enlightened and open to reality in light of preserving the legal constants, and in light of the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to develop the International Awkaf Academy to be a training and educational beacon in the field of religious discourse.
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The Minister of Awqaf added that the aim of the meeting is to form a committee from the Supreme Council of Universities and the leaders of the Awkaf Academy to lay out broad lines for setting up a mechanism that allows the Academy to award scientific degrees, in light of the need to prepare imams and leaders of enlightened thought who are able to read the reality, developments of the times, and issues of renewal while preserving the legal constants.
The Minister stated that the International Academy of Awkaf is witnessing a large number of imams from a large number of countries for training, adding that the academy has organized international courses for imams of Sudan, Palestine, Burkina Faso, Algeria, and other countries.
The Minister confirmed that the imam, during his study years, is saturated with specialized religious sciences, so the Awkaf Academy aims to focus on studying renewal issues, issues of sociology, psychology, Islamic philosophy, media communication skills, human civilization, and the arts of advocacy and rhetoric.
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