The visit of Dr. Shawky Allam, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, to the European parliament in Brussels resounded well on all levels as did the statements and the speech he delivered at a special session held for the first time in the parliament’s history for a religious scholar.

The website of the European parliament posted the session in 12 languages during which he stressed the importance of understanding the reality of events occurring in Egypt in their proper context without heeding the calls to distort the image of Egypt. He also said that religion does not condone the actions of the terrorist group “Al-Qa’ida Separatists” who falsely claim to call themselves “The Islamic State”.

The Belgian newspaper “Le Soir” put Dr. Shawky’s picture on its front page and published the statements he made to the members of the European parliament.

Mr. Amjad Bashir, the Muslim European parliament member, extended an invitation to Dr. Allam to visit England to propagate true Islam. Mr. Bashir described Dr. Allam as representing the “voice of moderation in the Muslim world.”

The Royal Institute for Foreign Relations associated to the Foreign Ministry of Belgium sent Dr. Allam a letter of appreciation while the institute’s director, Dr. Mark Otte, asked that a memorandum of understanding be signed between the institute and Dar Al-Iftaa.

Dr. Allam welcomed the request and expressed Dar Al-Iftaa’s willingness to cooperate in clarifying the true teachings of Islam to the European community.