Imam Al-Azhar dies in Riyadh
Rania/Cairo: Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Imam of Egypt's prestigious seat of Islamic learning Al- Azhar who is known for his moderate views, today died of a heart attack while boarding a plane from Saudi capital Riyadh to Cairo.
82-year-old Tantawi, the head of Al-Azhar - Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, suffered a heart attack as he boarded the flight back home from Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, Egyptian television said.
"While boarding the plane he suffered severe pain and fell on the stairs," it reported.
He was rushed to Amir Sultan hospital in Riyadh where doctors pronounced him dead.
His son Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi said the Grand Imam will be buried in Saudi Arabia.
He said the family has decided to bury his father in Al-Baqie cemetery in Medina, Islam's second holy city, since "God chose for him to die on Saudi land".
The soft-spoken cleric with a trim white beard is known for his moderate views and has spoken out against female circumcision by taking a stand against the full face veil as "un-Islamic."
Tantawi was in the Saudi capital to participate in an award ceremony of King Faisal International Prize (KFIP).
Tantawi wrote a number of books, including a 15-volume interpretation of the Quran.
Before being named to the post at Al-Azhar, Tantawi had served as Egypt's official mufti. He is considered close to the government in his religious opinions.
Tantawi received a doctorate in interpretation of the Quran and Sunna, Prophet Muhammad's teachings, from Al-Azhar University in 1966.
Tantawi was appointed Grand Mufti of Egypt in 1986. He held this position for almost ten years, until he was appointed Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque and University in 1996.
Al-Azhar, a millennium-old university and mosque complex, is widely regarded as one of the main seats of Islamic learning and the most prominent Sunni institutions in the world.
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