The Grand Imam: “Equality in Islam is bound by justice as approved by all Heavenly religions”.
- "If equality doesn’t achieve justice, it turns from virtue into vice."
In the fourteenth episode of his Ramadan program on the Egyptian television, His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof Ahmed Aṭ-Ṭayyeb, has said that the concept of equality between men and women in Islam is different from its Western counterpart. Equality in Islam is not absolute; it is bound by justice, which is the basis of all reasonable systems. It’s the basis on which the heavens and the earth are based. It is a value approved by all the heavenly religions which share the same virtues and ethics.
He has added that equality between two equivalent persons secures justice, but when it is between two different persons, it immediately turns into injustice. For example, there is no equality between a genius person who knows the secrets of things, and an idle one. So, if equality doesn’t maintain justice, it turns from virtue into vice, because it would then destroy the principle of justice.
The Grand Imam has explained that the West has never been able to apply equality in its real concept since the French Revolution declared it in the trilogy of "Freedom, Fraternity and Equality". The United Nations, which was established with the aim of implementing equality and freedoms and maintaining peace and security, is actually based on injustice. It gives only five countries the absolute right to decide on the destiny of 193 other countries. Reviewing our civilization and heritage, we find that when the Muslims approached the West, they educated its people and motivated the spirit of innovation among them.
The Grand Imam has continued stating that European Colonialism was based on the principle of inequality. It was based on the belief that the white man was superior with a message, while the black and colored people were barbaric, savage and uncivilized. To the Westerners, the white Europeans should colonize the countries of these inferior races to impose their Western civilization by force. This is a civilization that is not based on equality, but on the clash of civilizations. In addition, the West criminalizes and punishes all those who criticize Israel, claiming that they are anti-Semitist. Meanwhile, they encourage anyone who insults the prophets, especially our Prophet (pbuh).
The Grand Imam's program is broadcast at 6:15 p.m. daily, throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan. It discusses a number of Muslim family issues, the rights established in Islam for the husband and the wife, and how to preserve the family as a basis for a solid human community.