US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have mourned the death of Grand Imam Mohamed Sayyid Tantawi, the head of al-Azhar University in Cairo.
“As the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar University, he was a voice for faith and tolerance who was widely respected in Muslim communities in Egypt and around the globe, and by many who seek to build a world grounded in mutual respect,” the White House said in a statement.
“Sheikh Tantawi graciously hosted President Obama last June in Cairo, and we remember well his hospitality,” it said.
Noting that Imam Tantawi was a highly respected cleric and the leader of one of the most important institutions of Islamic learning in the world, Clinton said Al-Azhar had stood in Cairo last summer as a beacon of Islamic learning for over a thousand years, and it continues to play a dynamic role today.