Dr. Shawqi Allam, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, received in his office at Dar al-Ifta Ms. Katalin Bogyay, the head of UNESCO General Assembly, and Dr. Peter Kivec, the ambassador of Hungary in Cairo.

Dr. Shawqi Allam stressed that no single cultural paradigm can dominate over others and that inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue must stem from acknowledging identity and cultural singularity.

The Grand Mufti invited the UNESCO to exert greater effort to correct the negative stereotypical image of Islam  and its culture especially in the educational curricula in the West and the world. He expressed Dar al-Ifta’s willingness to cooperate in any possible means with the UNESCO to make this happen.

Ms. Katalin Bogyay, the head of UNESCO General Assembly, praised Dar al-Ifta’s efforts in spreading the message of Islam and tolerance throughout the world and in fighting radical thought both locally and internationally. She invited Dr. Allam to attend the dialogue conference that will be held in UNESCO headquarters next may.