The Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy (AIRA), Dr. Nazir Ayyad, met Ms. Sarah Menkara, the Special Adviser to US President Biden on international disability rights, and the delegation accompanying her.
During the meeting, His Eminence emphasized Al-Azhar’s role in giving care to and supporting the people with disabilities, seeking ways of cooperation in order to integrate them into curricula and scientific research, and discussing ways of cooperation to develop community awareness of their needs.
The meeting discussed attempts to change the societal view towards the people with disabilities, and to integrate this important category into society to achieve common interests for both them and their societies, since many of them have enormous capabilities. In this concern, international reports have proven their effective contribution to the development of the institutions wherein they work. This meeting also discussed cooperation for the sake of integrating the people with disabilities into curricula and scientific research to change the attitudes of the society towards them in the academic and civil fields.
In this context, Ayyad, said that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, under the leadership of the Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, works at increasing societal awareness of important societal issues, correcting concepts and thought, and spreading moderate Islamic ideology, whether inside or outside Egypt. The Secretary General added that Al-Azhar, when dealing with this category of citizens, embodies the view of true Islam and its message to bear societal responsibility towards them, stressing that Al-Azhar seeks to integrate them into advocacy (Dawah) as well as education fields, considering that this is an inherent right for them.
Ayyad also presented some of Al-Azhar’s efforts to support people with disabilities in educational and technical activities to develop and benefit from their skills. In addition, promotional competitions are organized for them, awareness campaigns that call for cooperation with them are launched, and work teams aiming to provide them with necessary facilities are assigned to help them.