Encouraging Sisi to Silence Him: Why Has ‘Israel's’ Attack on Grand Imam of al-Azhar Escalated?

Due to his influential role in condemning the Israeli war on Gaza and urging Arab and Muslim leaders to act against the brutality of the occupation, "Israel" is waging an intense and direct media assault on al-Azhar University and its Grand Imam, Ahmed el-Tayeb.

Israeli officials and media voices are even calling on Egypt’s head of the regime, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to rein in el-Tayeb and prevent him from criticizing "Israel" or inciting resistance. 

They have also criticized the support shown by al-Azhar’s clerics, who, during Taraweeh prayers, prayed for the Gaza resistance, while praying against the Jews.

The Israeli assault on al-Azhar stems from two main angles. The first is linked to the university’s own message and its influence as a soft power globally. 

Al-Azhar has issued numerous strong statements condemning "Israel’s" war on Gaza, in stark contrast to the more measured tone of the Egyptian foreign ministry.

The second angle is that the attack on al-Azhar is part of the Israeli broader strategy to undermine Islamic doctrine and teachings, particularly those that advocate for jihad and resistance against the aggressing Jews. 

This mirrors "Israel's" demands for the purification and revision of Palestinian and broader Arab educational curricula.

The Israeli assault on the Grand Imam of al-Azhar coincides with a notable escalation in the incitement campaigns being waged by Israeli circles against Egypt. 

These have been accompanied by claims alleging that the Egyptian military is reinforcing its forces in the Sinai Peninsula, a move described as a violation of the peace agreement.

Al-Azhar Defiance

Israeli Channel 14, known for its allegiance to the far-right, along with Israeli newspapers, writers, and officials, has led the charge in attacking al-Azhar.

The channel criticized al-Azhar's description of "Israel" as the Zionist enemy, which it depicted as a "rabid wolf, driven by a murderous rage, killing children, women, and innocents, delighting in devouring their flesh and drinking their blood without restraint or accountability."

Since the onset of the war on Gaza, al-Azhar University has effectively become a parallel "foreign ministry" in Egypt, albeit one more outspoken, issuing dozens of statements and declarations condemning the occupation.

However, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar’s fierce condemnation of "Israel" has drawn sharp criticism from "Tel Aviv" and American Jewish groups, who have pressured the head of the regime el-Sisi to silence him.

On November 2, 2023, the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) called for silencing the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, accusing him of supporting terrorism. 

The institute also criticized the head of the regime el-Sisi for allowing him to do so, despite Egypt’s peace treaty with "Israel."

"Al-Azhar is siding with Hamas and conducting a campaign aimed at stoking hostility among the Arab and Muslim public against Israel and its Western supporters, in an already volatile situation," the Israeli think tank stated.

"Israel, Egypt, and influential regional and international parties must act swiftly and decisively to curb this dangerous rhetoric."

The occupation did not limit its criticism of al-Azhar to accusations of inciting hostility against "Israel" or "antisemitism." 

It also sought to rally American opposition against the institution, claiming that al-Azhar was also antagonistic toward the United States and inciting hostility against it, according to Israeli Channel 14.

In its statement on March 18, 2025, al-Azhar condemned the "black terrorism" of  "Israel," referring to the deadly airstrikes on Gaza. 

It also criticized "global powers" for granting  "Tel Aviv" a green light to kill Palestinians.

Al-Azhar also spoke of "Israel's" deceptive nature and betrayal of promises, calling for swift action to halt the Zionist killing machine and for the prosecution of Israeli leaders for their crimes and massacres.

It described America's and the West's support for the aggressor as a "civilizational and moral regression" and complicity in its actions. 

The statement emphasized that as long as “global powers continue to support it, remain silent on its crimes, and shield it from accountability for its horrific genocide and ethnic cleansing, the aggression will not cease.”

During his meeting with the Coptic Pope of Egypt, Tawadros II, at al-Azhar to offer greetings for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr, Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb remarked that the manner in which "Israel" is carrying out its massacres in Gaza reveals catastrophic hatred and demonstrates its utter disregard for any sense of humanity or compassion.

According to Al-Estiklal, in a statement issued on March 25, 2025, al-Azhar quoted him as saying, "The situation in Gaza is dire and complex, especially after the Zionists breached the ceasefire agreement."

Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb attributed the brutal way Israel carries out its crimes to "catastrophic hatred, expressed through these massacres that expose the perpetrators' complete detachment from any sense of mercy or humanity."

Israeli analyses suggest that what most infuriated the occupation was al-Azhar’s Grand Imam dismantling the image of "Israel" as the victim in the world, revealing its true nature.

During the fifth episode of his program Imam el-Tayeb on Egyptian television on March 15, 2025, Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb affirmed that "the image of Israel as a victim, besieged and oppressed, has fallen and will never return."

"The justice of God has manifested in the collapse of the Zionist entity’s Western popular support," el-Tayeb noted, "In contrast, the reputation of the people of Gaza and their patience has become the talk of the entire world." 

"Had it not been for the martyrs of Gaza, the Palestinian cause would not have awakened in the conscience of the global human community," he continued.

Al-Azhar’s preachers also enraged "Israel" with their remarks about the occupation's seizure of Palestinian land, such as the Friday sermon on February 14, 2025, where the preacher spoke of Israeli distortion and the manipulation of place names in the occupied territories. 

He emphasized that the occupiers are not the rightful owners of the land.

Anti-Semitic Allegations

Israeli newspapers and writers have criticized al-Azhar Mosque and mosques across Egypt for praying against the Jews and "Israel" while supporting Gaza, despite the Egyptian government's previous restrictions on such actions.

They also point out that Sawt al-Azhar, the newspaper directly overseen by Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb, continues to issue provocative statements against "Israel." 

Moreover, al-Azhar remains steadfast in sending food and aid shipments to Gaza.

The video received significant attention from social media users, with some viewing its release coinciding with the martyrdom of Yehya Sinwar as part of al-Azhar's support for the Palestinian cause and resistance.

In the wake of Sinwar's death, al-Azhar issued a strongly worded statement, mourning the martyrs of the Palestinian resistance, "Al-Azhar condemns the killing of the heroic Palestinian martyrs, who fell victim to the criminal Zionist hand that has spread corruption and destruction in our Arab lands, killing and wreaking havoc."

"Israel has occupied, seized, and annihilated, all before the eyes and ears of nations paralyzed by weak will, capability, and thought, in a global community silent as the dead in their graves, with international law worth no more than the ink with which it is written," according to al-Azhar’s statement.

Al-Azhar described the martyrs of the Palestinian resistance as not terrorists, but true fighters who terrorized their enemy, instilling fear and terror in their hearts.

The statement was widely interpreted in the media as a eulogy that glorified Sinwar, despite his name not being explicitly mentioned.

The statement called for exposing the lies of the Zionist media machine and its attempts to tarnish the image of Palestinian resistance leaders in the minds of our youth, falsely branding them as terrorists. 

It emphasized that resistance, defending one’s homeland, land, and cause, and dying for it, is an honor unmatched by any other.

In its incitement against the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, the Zionist MEMRI center, which monitors "anti-Israel" sentiment, described him on October 22, 2024, as known for his extremist positions and support for terrorism and terrorist organizations.

It went on to say that the Grand Imam "refuses to promote a moderate religious discourse within the framework of combating extremism and terrorism, despite his repeated participation in interfaith dialogue and his signing of the Human Fraternity Document with Pope Francis in 2019."

The center also accused the Grand Imam of al-Azhar of supporting Palestinian martyrdom operations against Israeli targets, calling them "acts of legitimate self-defense."

"As long as Israel, the barbaric enemy, continues to attack Palestinians with Western and American support, it is the right of the Palestinians to blow up whatever they wish," the Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb stated.

He was also accused of "undermining the efforts of Egyptian head of the regime Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to promote a moderate religious discourse."

In November 2024, "Tel Aviv's" ambassador to Cairo, Amira Oron, attacked the Grand Imam el-Tayeb, describing his statements about "Israel" as "extremely harsh" and accusing him of antisemitism for his criticism of "Israel."

"The hostility of the world's most prominent Sunni institution toward Israel is unparalleled, and it is exceptionally harsh and difficult," Israeli channel i24News quoted the ambassador.

The ambassador, who served in Egypt from September 23, 2020, until 2023, claimed that "Al-Azhar’s hostility and that of its Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb toward Israel are intertwined with elements of antisemitism," according to her allegations.

"The usual victimhood narrative, often invoked by those aligned with Israel whenever its true bloody face is revealed—such as during the aggression on Gaza and Lebanon—holds no value in light of the horrific crimes committed daily," al-Azhar Observatory responded.

The Observatory described the Israeli military as "terrorist forces stripped of all moral and human values, committing a range of brutal crimes," and emphasized that Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb stands firm, speaking the truth and justice to confront them.

Al-Azhar's Gaza Support

One of Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb's strongest statements was his praise for the Operation al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, and the Palestinian resistance. 

He lauded the efforts of the resistance and called for strengthening "the hands of the Palestinian people who have brought life back to us."

This was seen by "Tel Aviv" as clear support for the Palestinian resistance, in contrast to the official Egyptian stance, which, in a statement by the foreign ministry in March 2025, equated the violence with counter-violence, drawing a false equivalence between the victim and the perpetrator.

As the war began, on October 11, 2023, al-Azhar described Israeli practices against Palestinians, including cutting electricity and blocking the delivery of food and humanitarian aid to Gaza, as "genocide and fully-fledged war crimes."

In a statement, it called for an international investigation into the war crimes committed by "Israel" against children, women, and the elderly in Gaza.

Al-Azhar also addressed the Palestinians, warning them against abandoning their land in light of the ongoing conflict, firmly rejecting their forced displacement.

On October 30, 2023, al-Azhar issued six messages to the Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza, informing them that they were facing "an army from which God has removed mercy, stripped of all morals and humanity." 

It offered its salute to the heroes as they confronted the enemy’s army, steadfast in their faith and unafraid or humbled. 

The message encouraged them to draw strength from the Quran: "And do not waver, nor be sad. You are the superior ones—if you are believers."

"The Zionist enemy has turned into a raging wolf infected with the rabies of killing children, women, and innocent people, relishing in devouring their flesh and drinking their blood without any restraint or oversight," Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb said in a powerful speech.

Due to his continued statements against "Israel," which justified supporting the resistance and described every Israeli civilian as a Zionist who could be fought because they are a member of the Israeli military, the Israeli military bombed al-Azhar University in Gaza on November 4, 2023.

In its report on November 2, 2024, the Israeli National Security Studies Institute (INSS) launched a strong attack against Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb, accusing him of siding with radical movements in the region following several statements he had issued.

The Hebrew institute, in a report prepared by Jewish orientalist Ofir Winter, a senior researcher at the institute and lecturer in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at "Tel Aviv" University, stated, "Al-Azhar in Egypt is leading a campaign aimed at stirring Arab and Muslim public opinion against Israel and its Western supporters, calling for the urgent need to curb the discourse of al-Azhar."

"Al-Azhar provides moral and legal legitimacy to the Palestinian struggle against Israel, dedicating part of its discourse to supporting the fight of the Palestinian people against what al-Azhar refers to as the Zionist entity," the Israeli institute stated,

It also criticized al-Azhar and its Grand Imam for warning against the plans to Judaize Palestine and seize the al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as exposing the alleged crimes committed by "Israel" against the Palestinian people.

The report noted that Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb, who has headed al-Azhar since 2010, "is the living embodiment of negative views toward Israel," as he repeatedly conveys the message that "every occupation ultimately meets its end, sooner or later," implying that "Israel's" existence is temporary and doomed to extinction.

The Israeli institute accused al-Azhar of "providing religious and moral support for Hamas attacks" and inciting its followers in the Palestinian, Egyptian, and wider Sunni communities against "Israel."

The Israeli institute accused Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb of maintaining regular and open communications with Hamas leaders, in stark contrast to the Egyptian diplomatic elite, which has avoided direct contact with the movement since it took control of Gaza.

It called for pressure to curb al-Azhar’s influence, stating, "Israel, the United States, and moderate Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, must demand the suppression of al-Azhar."

The Israeli National Security Studies Institute went so far as to demand constitutional changes in Egypt that would allow for the replacement of Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb. 

It also called for Muslim countries to sever ties with al-Azhar and its leadership, reconsidering its ability to function as a trusted partner in interfaith dialogue and the fight against religious extremism, as well as increasing oversight of its international branches.

This comes in spite of the fact that Egypt's current constitution prevents the removal of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, with a replacement only permissible upon his death or resignation.

"The religious and political support provided by al-Azhar to armed resistance groups in Palestine in the most extreme form is causing irreparable harm to Tel Aviv," The institute noted.

It further claimed that this could "escalate to the point of inciting religious wars, which would jeopardize the stability of the Middle East, necessitating immediate countermeasures from Israel, as well as the regional and international community."

The Israeli National Security Studies Institute even called for "targeting the funding sources of al-Azhar by regional and international actors that financially support the institution, including the UAE, and for reconsidering the aid provided to it."