Jakarta — Menteri Pertahanan (Menhan) RI Prabowo Subianto received a visit from the Grand Sheikh or Grand Imam of Al Azhar Egypt, Ahmed Al Tayeb, at the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday (10/7) afternoon.
Ahmed Al Tayeb and his delegation arrived at the Ministry of Defense at 3:00 PM local time and were welcomed by Prabowo with a warm greeting and handshake before addressing the media.
They then walked together accompanied by a guard of honor and a marching band playing music.
The meeting between the two lasted for about an hour and was warm. Former Indonesian Minister of Religion in 1998, M. Quraish Shihab, was also present with Prabowo during the meeting.
“Your Excellency, thank you for visiting us, this is a great honor. The Egyptian nation is very close to our hearts. If I’m not mistaken, in my history, Egypt was the first nation to recognize Indonesia’s independence,” said Prabowo.
“I personally admire the history of Egypt and the struggle of the Egyptian people, and we are very grateful that Al Azhar always pays attention to and supports Indonesia.”
During the meeting, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Egypt also congratulated Prabowo directly on being elected as the President of Indonesia for the 2024-2029 term.
“With sincerity, we want to congratulate Your Excellency on being elected as the President of a great Muslim nation like Indonesia,” Ahmed Al Tayeb said to Prabowo.
He also prayed for Prabowo to be given success in carrying out his duties as President of Indonesia, so that his leadership will bring progress, prosperity, and peace to Indonesia.
“We also want to offer our best prayers for Your Excellency, may your upcoming term as President be filled with progress, prosperity, and peace for the Indonesian nation,” Ahmed Al Tayeb prayed.
At the end of the meeting, Prabowo, along with Quraish Shihab and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, exchanged mementos and took photos together.
Prabowo received a book Al-Qawl Al Tayyib from the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmed Al Tayeb, and also kissed the Al-Quran Mushaf Madinah that was given to him.
In return, Prabowo gave mementos in the form of a keris (traditional dagger) and a plaque from the Ministry of Defense.