Cairo: Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb has appointed a woman as his advisor for the first time in the history of the influential Islamic seat of learning, Egyptian media reported.
The pre-eminent cleric has decreed the appointment of Nahla Al Saidi, the dean of the Islamic Science Faculty for Expatriates, as an adviser, becoming the first woman to hold this key post at the history of the institution of more than 1,000 years old.
A graduate of Al Azhar University majoring in Arabic language in 1996, Al Saidi obtained a doctorate in 2004.
She has since held several academic posts, including deputy dean of Al Azhar Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies in Cairo.
She is a staunch opponent of underage marriages. “It is important to prevent marriage of a child girl to spare her harms as medical, psychological and sociological specialists concur that such marriage spells a lot of harms for the girl,” she once said, according to Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm.
Al Saidi also advocated women’s right to travel without a male guardian.
Her appointment has generated wide applause. “This is the first time a woman is appointed as an advisor to Al Azhar Sheikh,” said Maya Mursi, the chairwoman of the state-backed National Council for Women.
“This step marks a victory from Al Azhar, the lighthouse of knowledge in the Islamic world, in favour of women against militant ideas,” said Egyptian female lawmaker Samira Al Gazzar.
