PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today received a courtesy call from the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Professor Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, who is on a special four-day visit to Malaysia at the prime minister's invitation.
The Grand Sheikh of the prestigious Al-Azhar institute arrived at Seri Perdana, the official residence of the prime minister, at 6.30pm.
Present were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Ahmad, who is also the recipient of Malaysia's Tokoh Maal Hijrah Award 2020, is also scheduled to deliver a lecture at the "Majlis Ilmu Madani: Distinguished Speaker Series" at Seri Perdana tonight.
Wisma Putra in a statement yesterday said the special visit by the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, who also holds the status of prime minister based on the Egyptian Constitution, is a historic moment in the bilateral relations between Malaysia and the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The visit also proves the close relationship and cooperation between the two countries in an effort to develop progressive and dynamic Muslims.