Iraqi PM meets the grand sheik of al-Azhar Mosque

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Various exteriors of the grand sheikh of al-Azhar Mosque's offices 2. Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki meeting al-Azhar grand sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi 3. Tantawi and al-Maliki walking into meeting 4. Various of meeting 5. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar Mosque "I do not believe in sectarianism. There is no difference between Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds or Turkumens, none at all. We might disagree on issues but disagreement should never lead to contempt (for one another) or violence among reasonable people." 6. Delegates at meeting 7. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki "What Iraq is going through today is not, as some people claim, an issue of sectarian unrest. Rather, it is a blind force that wants to destroy this country (Iraq) and we are resisting it by all means. We are resisting several different negative influences, influences that were left behind by the previous regime, such as discrimination and the destruction of our national and religious identity. Now we want to work on restoring the Iraqi people's Islamic identity. Especially since Iraq is has always been known for its Islamic history." 8. Delegates at meeting 9. Tantawi and al-Maliki leaving meeting STORYLINE Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki met with the grand sheikh of Egypt's al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo on Monday to discuss the sectarian violence that has taken hold in Iraq. Al-Azhar Mosque is considered to be the most important religious institution by Sunni Muslims in the Middle East and its grand sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi is a widely respected figure in the Islamic world. The cleric later told al-Maliki: "I do not believe in sectarianism. There is no difference between Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds or Turkumens, none at all. We might disagree on issues but disagreement should never lead to contempt (for one another) or violence among reasonable people." Al-Maliki responded, saying: "what Iraq is going through today is not, as some people claim, an issue of sectarian unrest. Rather, it is a blind force that wants to destroy this country (Iraq) and we are resisting it by all means." The Iraqi president also said the Iraqi people and their new government were struggling to deal with "negative influences" inherited from Saddam Hussein's 24 year dictatorship. "We are resisting several different negative influences, influences that were left behind by the previous regime, such as discrimination and the destruction of our national and religious identity," said al-Maliki. He added: "We want to work on restoring the Iraqi people's Islamic identity. Especially since Iraq is has always been known for its Islamic history." Al-Maliki is on a regional tour to shore up support from mostly Sunni Arab nations for his Shiite-dominated government as sectarian violence continues in the face of a near ten-week-old security crackdown. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/171b6abf3881ec0faf35700cbb11011b Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork