Egypt Daily News – Ambassador Mohamed El-Shenawy, spokesperson for the Presidency, published photos of President El-Sisi’s participation on Tuesday morning in the graduation ceremony of the second training course for imams from the Ministry of Religious Endowments, held at the Egyptian Military Academy. The ceremony took place at the Al-Manara International Conference Center.
The spokesperson stated that the graduation and qualification of this new group of imams, which included 550 participants and lasted for 24 weeks, comes in line with the President’s directives to the Ministry of Endowments, in coordination with relevant state institutions, including the Egyptian Military Academy.
The aim was to establish a comprehensive training program to enhance the imams’ capabilities at all levels, contributing to the improvement of religious discourse and the development of communication methods, particularly in combating and refuting extremist ideologies, as well as reinforcing awareness, knowledge, and understanding of various intellectual issues and current challenges.
He added that the ceremony featured a documentary titled “Success Report of the Course”, followed by a group research presentation by the imam trainees on the topic “The Scholar and Preacher as an Encyclopedia: Its Impact on Fulfilling Their Mission (Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti as a Model).” The graduation results were then announced.
The graduates also took an oath of loyalty, a newly introduced pledge for graduating imams and preachers, which was led by Dr. Ahmed Nabawi, a member of the Minister of Endowments’ technical office. The ceremony continued with a poetry performance by one of the trainees, followed by a religious chant.
Both Major General Ashraf Zahir, Director of the Egyptian Military Academy, and Dr. Osama Al-Azhari, Minister of Endowments, delivered speeches highlighting the importance of collaboration among state institutions in fulfilling the political leadership’s vision to prepare a new generation of imams—well-versed in religious sciences and proficient in modern communication tools—to strengthen their role in promoting moderate thought and reinforcing national values.
