Modi lands in Cairo, sends signal by meeting Grand Mufti

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a meeting with Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam as one of his first engagements on the first day of his tour to the Arab Republic.

Modi landed in Cairo on Saturday after completing his state visit to the United States, where he dismissed allegations of discrimination against Muslims in India. Apart from meeting the Grand Mufti, the prime minister will also visit the historic Al-Hakim Mosque on Sunday. The 11th-century mosque was restored and reconstructed by the Dawoodi Bohras of Egypt.

Modi was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly after he landed at the airport in Cairo. They later had a meeting. The prime minister will have a meeting with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who had visited New Delhi early this year to attend the Republic Day ceremony on January 26 as the chief guest.

The prime minister was welcomed by the Indians living in Egypt as he reached his hotel in Cairo.

“I was deeply touched by the warm welcome of the Indian community in Egypt. Their support and affection truly epitomize the timeless bonds between our nations. It was also remarkable that the people of Egypt wore Indian costumes. It really represents a celebration of our common cultural ties,” Modi tweeted in Arabic.

New Delhi had last month hosted Egypt’s Grand Mufti, who had applauded the communal harmony in India.

The prime minister’s meeting with the top religious leader of Egypt and his visit to the mosque come on the heels of his state visit to the US that saw human rights activists and organisations as well as a section of the ruling Democratic Party’s senators and representatives urging President Joe Biden to convey to his guest the concerns of his administration over reports of growing religious intolerance, discrimination against minority communities, shrinking space for dissent and curbs on freedom of the press.

At least six Democrats in the House of Representatives – Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Cori Bush, Jamal Bowman and Summer Lee – boycotted the prime minister’s address of the prime minister of India to the US Congress, although a large number of the lawmakers not only came to listen to him but also applauded him.

India is a democratic nation and it has no space for discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, religion, gender or region, the prime minister said in response to a question he was asked during a joint news conference with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.