Al Azhar welcomes any criticism as long as the critic is a scholar in religion and language and respects the manners of dialogue, Al Azhar undersecretary Abbas Shoman.

Addressing a seminar on "Al Azhar and the media" on Thursday, Shoman said it was not in the best interest of the public to attack the Islamic institution because any harm to it will affect the whole Muslim nation, especially Egypt.

No one can undermine Al Azhar, which has a history spanning over 1,000 years, he said.

Al Azhar will prove those criticizing the Quran and Sunnah wrong with substantiated evidence and show how confused their minds are, he added.

Al Azhar and the media have to work together to fight terrorism and extremist ideology, while spreading sound and good examples, he noted.

Source: MENA