Aligarh: Arrival of the Grand Mufti, Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel Karim Allam of Egypt at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) created stir amongst the students.
A few Students reached the spot carrying posters with slogans criticising Dr Shawki when he was addressing the public at the varsity.
Assistant proctor of AMU, Sayed Ali Nawab Zaidi, told TOI, "some students suddenly appeared and started the protest against the guest as they were angry with the policy of Egypt toward Israel. All of them were made to return."
The Grand Mufti was on a visit to attend an event titled “Dialogue Among Civilizations” at the Kennedy Auditorium of the University.
The event was organized by the Public Relations Office (PRO) of the university and was part of Dr. Allam’s six-day state visit to India hosted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, and Government of India. Despite the protest, the event took place under heightened security measures.
Protesting students held placards inside and outside the venue stating, “UNWELCOMING The Grand Mufti, Who Enables Human Rights Violation.”
A research scholar who was part of the protest, Mohammad Ghayasuddin, told Maktoob, “Shawki Ibrahim is not the Grand Mufti of an Arab nation but a killer and mufti of oppressing Muslims.” He added, “We protested against his presence on the AMU campus because it has a legacy and history of standing against oppression and we cannot welcome killers and oppressors here.”
Despite the protest, the event took place with a large audience present at the venue. The administration of the university arranged for the students and staff to attend the lecture, with some students reportedly being forced to attend, or risk having their attendance marked as absent.
According to the media reports, special buses were arranged for female resident students to attend the event.
