Austrian Ambassador here Georg Stillfried stressed that overcoming terrorism and spreading true image about Islam has become the most important duty not only in the Islamic world but also in Europe.

Al Azhar is the most important religious institution in the Islamic world, he noted, adding that it is entrusted with carrying out this duty via Al Azhar Observatory for Foreign Languages.

This came during the visit paid by Stillfried to the observatory to get acquainted with its activities and the role it plays to combat extremist ideologies as well as terrorism at the local and international levels.

He also discussed means of promoting cooperation between his country and the observatory.

Stillfried expressed appreciation for the role of Al Azhar in spreading the culture of moderation, tolerance and peace.

The general coordinator of the observatory Mohamed Abdel Fadiel reviewed the efforts exerted by the observatory to correct misconceptions, detecting the activities of terrorist groups and what they post in social networking websites and refuting their allegations in eight languages.

Abdel Fadiel highlighted the observatory's role in fighting Islamophobia and helping the Muslim communities abroad to merge into the western societies while preserving at the same time their religious and cultural identity.

Source: MENA