Al-Azhar Condemns LGBT Promotion and Jesus’ Mockery at Paris Olympics

MINA – Al-Azhar, Egypt’s largest religious institution, has strongly condemned the promotion of LGBT lifestyles and the mocking portrayal of Jesus at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“Insulting Jesus Christ or any of His prophets is extremist and barbaric,” Al-Azhar stated on its official Facebook page on Monday.

Led by Grand Sheikh Prof. Ahmed El Tayeb, the institution announced the scenes that have sparked widespread public outrage.

“These scenes depict Jesus in a crude manner that tarnishes His noble character and prophetic status in a way that disrespects the sentiments of believers, moral values, and humane principles,” the statement from Al-Azhar read.

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Al-Azhar emphasized its continued rejection of all insults against any of Allah’s prophets.

“Prophets and messengers are chosen individuals endowed with special privileges by Allah to convey divine messages to the world,” it said.

Al-Azhar added that Jesus (AS) is among the Ulul Azmi of the prophets. Muslims believe that any insult against Him or other prophets is a disgrace to both the perpetrators and those who accept it.

The institution warned against exploiting global events to normalize religious abuse and promote LGBT agendas.

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Al-Azhar also called for unity to combat deviant and misguided ideologies aimed at eradicating religion, characterized by sexual desires that spread disease and immorality, and imposing an animalistic lifestyle on humanity.

The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, held on Friday (July 26) and watched by millions worldwide, featured what some perceived as ‘demonic symbols’ and LGBTQ representation, leading to widespread condemnation online.

According to Mint, the show included recreations of scenes such as ‘The Last Supper’ of Jesus, the beheading of Marie Antoinette, and the depiction of ‘the God of Wine’, Dionysus, which sparked controversy on social media. Many netizens viewed the recreation of ‘The Last Supper’ as ‘satanic symbolism’.

According to Olympics.com, the creator or artistic director of the artistic performance at the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony was French artist Thomas Jolly. (T/RE1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)