Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb decided to form a committee to draft a law on countering hatred and violence committed in the name of religion to be headed by Mohamed abdel Salam, al-Azhar’s legislative and legal advisor.
Abdel Salam said several meetings will be held to propose the initial ideas on Tayyeb, who ordered intensive work over the coming few days to draft the law which will be reviewed by Parliament.
In remarks on Sunday, Abdel Salam added that the bill aims to criminalize the incitment of hatred and forms of violence practiced in the name of religion, which comes within al-Azhar’s efforts to fight extremism and spread enlightened discourse and a culture of tolerance among people.
He added that legal systems usually trickle down into a society’s culture a while after application.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
