ARCHBISHOP TO MARK 9/11 AT MOSQUE

From correspondents in London

July 25, 2004

The head of the worldwide Anglican Church, the archbishop of Canterbury, will reportedly mark the third anniversary of the September 11 attacks by praising Islam in an address from the pulpit of an Egyptian mosque.

Rowan Williams had accepted an invitation to speak at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, considered by many to be the Muslim world's most important centre of learning, Britain's Sunday Times said today.

He would speak of the common ground between Christianity and Islam with their shared inheritance as "children of Abraham", the report said.

"It is a very significant moment in the history of our two faiths and especially coming from a man of his stature and learning," Zaki Badawi, the founder of the Muslim College in London, told the newspaper.

"This will cement the relationship between Christianity and Islam because he will point out those aspects which unite the two religions.

"The Muslims throughout the world feel beleaguered and a comforting word from Archbishop Williams will assure our people they are not alone."

Al-Azhar is considered the most important religious university in the Muslim world and is attended by 90,000 students.

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