President of the University Attends the Launch of the First International Scientific Conference at the Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies, Al-Azhar University in New Damietta.

Professor Dr. Hemdan Rabie Al-Metwally, President of Damietta University, attended today, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the opening of the First International Scientific Conference at the Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies for Boys, Al-Azhar University in New Damietta. The conference is held under the title “Reading the Text Between Heritage and Modernity,” with the participation of a distinguished group of scholars, researchers, and specialists in the fields of Islamic and linguistic studies.

The conference is held under the patronage of His Eminence the Grand Imam, Professor Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and Professor Dr. Salama Dawood, President of Al-Azhar University. It is supervised by Professor Dr. Mahmoud Sedik, Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Professor Dr. Ramadan Abdullah Al-Sawy, Vice President of Al-Azhar University for Lower Egypt. This comes within the framework of Al-Azhar’s ongoing efforts to develop scientific research and renew approaches to interpreting Islamic texts in line with contemporary intellectual developments.

The opening ceremony was attended by Professor Dr. Ramadan Al-Sawy, Vice President for Lower Egypt; Professor Dr. Mohamed Hosny El-Gamal, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies in New Damietta and Conference Chairman; Professor Dr. Mohamed Shady, faculty member; Brigadier Hossam, representative of the Military Advisor in Damietta Governorate; Dr. Mohamed Anwar Al-Arabi; Sheikh El-Sayed El-Ghitani; and a number of academic and scientific leaders.

Professor Dr. Hemdan Rabie Al-Metwally expressed his pleasure at participating in this distinguished scientific event, praising the role of Al-Azhar in promoting moderate and enlightened thought and supporting scientific research in the fields of Islamic and human sciences.

He emphasized that such scientific conferences contribute to opening new horizons for scholarly dialogue among researchers and support efforts to renew religious discourse through a conscious reading of texts that combines the authenticity of heritage with the requirements of the modern era, thereby enhancing the role of academic institutions in serving society and promoting values of moderation and enlightened thinking.

The conference discusses several specialized scientific themes, (including): methodological issues in the sciences of the Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah; principles of Islamic jurisprudence and balancing traditional authenticity with modern perspectives; as well as the use of modern linguistic and rhetorical approaches in text analysis. It also addresses contemporary challenges related to interpreting Islamic texts and explores ways to renew scientific methods of understanding them.