Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawky Allam held a meeting in Cairo on Thursday with a visiting Dutch parliamentary delegation, in which he said that terrorism and violent extremism constitute a threat to every country in the world.
The 12-member Dutch delegation arrived Monday night in Cairo, to meet with Egyptian officials and representatives for two days, before returning to the Netherlands on Thursday.
In the meeting with Egypt's Grand Mufti, attended by the Dutch Ambassador in Cairo, Allam stressed that terrorism will not be defeated without international solidarity and that every country in the world must play a role.
The religious leader praised the Netherlands' support for the people and the government of Egypt in combating the terrorist threat.
The Grand Mufti told the delegation that Egypt's religious institutes bear responsibility for countering extremism and spreading a message of peace and development in Egypt and abroad.
In 2014, Egypt's central authority for issuing religious rulings Dar El-Iftaa — an internationally influential body which Allam heads — launched a department to monitor extremist edicts being released across the Islamic world.
The Dutch MPs met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal in two separate meetings on Tuesday, to discuss a range of issues, including Egypt's recent internal developments.
The delegation, led by chairwoman of the Dutch parliament's foreign affairs committee Angelien Eijsink, discussed with El-Sisi Egyptian-Dutch relations, according to the Egyptian presidency.
The president also discussed with the MPs ways that Egypt could benefit from Dutch experience in several fields, including education and agriculture. The meeting was attended by Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry.
The delegation was briefed by Abdel-Aal on a number of issues including terrorism, the construction of churches in Egypt, the new NGO law and the country’s economic reforms, according to a statement from the parliament speaker's office.
