The grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, on Wednesday urged Egyptian police not to shoot protesters demanding democratic change, in a recorded address on state television. Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb also urged the armed forces to prevent confrontations between the people, while calling on protesters to maintain the peaceful nature of the demonstrations.
Al-Azhar "calls on the police leadership to immediately issue orders not to point their weapons at demonstrators... no matter what the reasons," Tayyeb said. It calls "on the armed forces to throw all their weight behind preventing confrontations between one people," he said. "Al-Azhar also calls on our children in Tahrir Square and all the squares of Egypt to maintain the peaceful nature of their revolution, despite the sacrifices and difficulties they face and to protect all private and public property."