Highest Muslim authority in Egypt made clear that Al Azhar never had any intention of changing anything. "Religious discourse" articulated in the Medieval era--one of hostility and violence. in a word, jihad--is the only "discourse" Muslims accept
Coptic Solidarity
Much of the curriculum of Al Azhar--the Islamic world's most prestigious university, located in Cairo--is based on Islamic books written in the medieval era or earlier. These books--histories, biographies of Muhammad, hadith (words and deeds of the latter), tafsirs (Koran exegeses), etc.--are often criticized by more reform-minded Muslims for being too backwards, teaching things such as unrelenting jihad and hatred for non-Muslims.
During a recent televised interview, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Egypt's highest authority on Islam and Grand Imam of Al Azhar, was asked about his university's reliance on these books. His responses left many reformers disappointed.
