Al-Azhar and the Arab World: Moulding the Political and Ideological Consciousness

Since its foundation in 972 CE (359 AH), Al-Azhar, the Islamic college in Cairo, has been one of the main institutions and centres of learning in the Arab world. For the first time, a comprehensive volume on Al-Azhar published in English. Badrawi examines how Al-Azhar influenced its students and shaped their political views, also studying the factors which contributed to its prominence as a centre for religious education, and the disciplines taught there. The political fatwas issued by the ulama at Al-Azhar, the incidents that motivated these fatwas, and the influence they had on events in Arab countries are analyzed.