Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb

"With regards to niqab, I will handle the issue through education," El-Tayeb said on Sunday in an interview.

He explained that he will not tackle the issue sharply, but will instead deal with the ideology through education. El-Tayeb stressed that niqab is not a religious obligation but rather a tradition handed down from older generations.

  
El-Tayeb, who had been the president of Al-Azhar University since 2003, was appointed the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar after the death of Sheikh Mohamed Tantawy on March 10.
El-Tayeb also held the post of Egypt’s Grand Mufti, the country's most senior Islamic scholar, from 2002 to 2003.
In the interview El-Tayeb also called for pulling the plug on religious programs broadcast on satellite channels.
"Those programs distort the realities of Islam," he said, adding that they are more interested in ratings than in presenting Islam.

Meanwhile, he said, Al-Azhar’s clerics deal with the youth in a traditional way unsuitable for today's generation who are more “action-oriented,” which is why most of the younger generations prefer television programs.
He accused such program presenters of “performing, especially when they cry on screen."
"I reject their words about heaven and hell and the grave, and I intend to hold meetings to educate young people," he said.

What can I say? AMEN. Mostafa Dawood