The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb announced on Monday that he has given directives to send relief aid to Rohingya Muslim refugees after a devastating fire destroyed their refugee camps in Bangladesh.
“Al-Azhar, whether professors, scholars or students, is in full solidarity with the Rohingya Muslims that were harmed by the huge fire that erupted at one of the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district, which resulted in the burning of 2,000 tents and the destruction of medical and educational centres and mosques, in addition to harming thousands of Rohingya refugees who have become homeless,” El-Tayeb’s statement said on Monday.
The huge fire raced through the densely populated Balukhali camp for Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh on Sunday, displacing thousands.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 2,000 shelters were damaged or destroyed, and 90 facilities, including hospitals and learning centres, were burned.
UNHCR officials added that despite no one being killed or injured, some 12,000 Rohingya refugees “lost everything.”
El-Tayeb said that he has instructed Al-Azhar officials to send tents, clothes, medical supplies and food to the refugees, as well as to communicate with the appropriate parties to ensure the relief aid reaches the refugees in the nearest possible time.
El-Tayeb also called on everybody to support and help the Muslim Rohingya refugees, especially since the Holy month of Ramadan is only days away.
He also called to the world to remember the agony of those who were forced to leave their homes in search of security and food and to escape injustice, torture, discrimination, and genocide.
Al-Azhar has sent relief aid to the Muslim Rohingya refugees over the past year.
Egypt has expressed solidarity with Rohingya Muslims and its support for the Bangladeshi government’s efforts to address the fallout from the crisis.
The Balukhali Refugee camp is home to more than 1 million Rohingya refugees who, over several decades, have fled to Bangladesh from persecution in Myanmar. Approximately 740,000 have crossed over since a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military starting in 2017.
Source: State Information Service Egypt
