During the graduation ceremony of a class of Thai students at Al-Azhar, Dean of the faculty of Islamic Theology, “Al-Azhar is the lifeline for all humankind and its international students are messengers of peace”.
The Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Thailand in Cairo, “Our students are proud to be Azhari”
Today, under the auspices of Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam, Prof. Aḥmed Aṭ-Ṭayyeb, Al-Azhar Conference Center has witnessed the graduation and honoring of a new class of Thai students at Al-Azhar. It is the 2018-2019 class, which consists of 110 graduates from Al-Azhar University, 6 students from Azhari institutes and 70 students who graduated with outstanding academic degrees.
Dr. ‛Abdul Fattāḥ El-‛Awwāriy, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Theology in Cairo, said, “Al-Azhar is glad to graduate students from all over the world, because they will be tasked with delivering the message and tolerance of Islam, applying Al-Azhar’s approach back in their homeland. They will do this job aiming to contribute to raising the intellectual and cultural level and religious awareness in their country, and to immunizing the Thai society from any anomalous or extremist thoughts.”
Dr. El-‛Awwāriy added that Al-Azhar is the stronghold of science and the meeting place of scholars. It has carried the banner of the call to Allah for one thousand and seventy years now. Its Ruwāqs (Class Courts) still open their doors to the people of the Muslim World. Among the attending students now, those who review history will find out that their ancestors have received their education at Al-Azhar. This is recorded in Al-Azhar’s logbooks and Ruwāqs. The reason behind this is that Al-Azhar, with its moderate approach, is a lifeline for all humanity, not just for Muslims.
The Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Theology, Al-Azhar University, advised the graduates to return to their home countries as messengers of peace, love and brotherhood, and to contribute to the development of their countries, the construction of their civilizations and building their future, as homeland love stems from faith. Al-Azhar is always pleased to hear the praises it receives about its graduates because of their moderation and tolerance. He also stressed that they should be the shield of their country against any terrorist or extremist thoughts.
On his part, Mr. Sata Arayakul, Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Thailand in Cairo, said, “This year marks the thirteenth celebration of the graduation of a class of Thai students studying in Egypt. Over all these years, this celebration managed to succeed with the support of the Grand Imam”. He pointed out that there are about 10,000 Azhari graduates in Thailand who have become good representatives of Al-Azhar in their home country.
Arayakul stressed that the Azhari graduates in Thailand have been equipped with religious knowledge and correct understanding of Islam through Al-Azhar. The existence of such graduates, with their moderate thought, in Thailand helps to enlighten large masses of Muslims there, and to promote their understanding of Islam from the perspective of Al-Azhar’s. He concluded his speech noting that the Thai students here feel proud to be Azhari.
At the end of the graduation ceremony, El-‛Awwāriy and Arayakul granted certificates of appreciation to the students who have just graduated. They took group photos with them in this great celebration. They both stressed that holding such an academic ceremony encourages the current students to be true Muslims and hard-working students at the same time, by tracking their academic goals with perseverance.