WASHINGTON – As
political tightropes go, President Barack Obama is about to walk a
precarious line tomorrow in a high-stakes speech aimed at closing the
chasm with Islam.
But as the young American leader approaches the
dais in Cairo for what many hope will be a milestone of cultural
outreach, Obama can take solace in signals from prominent Muslim leaders
determined to meet him in the moderate middle.
Officials with
Cairo's ancient Al-Azhar University, widely regarded as one of the
world's great fonts of Muslim thought, this week announced the launch of
a new satellite channel to reclaim what they regard as the
authoritative Islam – a pluralistic, tolerant religion committed to a
peaceful planet.
The Al-Azhari channel is to go to air in
mid-August for the start of the holy month of Ramadan with a
24-hour-a-day blend of education and entertainment that aspires to meet
the bridge-building challenge "for the Obama era," says the project's
main benefactor.
"We've been talking about it for a few years. But
with Obama taking the initiative and going so far to calm tensions,
this is the moment to reciprocate," said Hassan Tatanaki, a Libyan oil
executive and philanthropist who seeded the station with an initial
infusion of $2.9 million.
Getting senior scholars at Al-Azhar on
board, Tatanaki said, was the crucial step in bringing the idea to
reality. While Islam has no formal hierarchy with which to render
religious ruling – Al-Azhar, founded in 975 – stands as the foremost
centre of Sunni Muslim learning. read more
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