People

Dr. Ali Gomaa is the former Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt. As Grand Mufti, oversaw the premier institution in the Muslim world for religious legal direction, Dar al-Ifta'. Throughout his ten year appointment as Grand Mufti from 2003-2013, he was a leading advocate for moderation, and an outspoken critic of extremist ideologies, which he says are antithetical to Islam. Born in Bani Suwayf, Egypt in 1952, he received a Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Commerce at Ayn Shams University before transferring to the College of Islamic and Arabic Studies of al-Azhar University. He went on to receive a master's degree and a doctorate in Islamic Juristic Methodology (usul al-fiqh) from the same institution. Prior to his posting as Grand Mufti, Dr. Gomaa served as Professor of Jurisprudence at al-Azhar and served as a member of that institution's Legal Ruling Council from 1995 to 1997. In addition to his duties as head of Dar al-Ifta', he is a member of the Council for Islamic Research at al-Azhar University, and a member of the Fiqh Council of the Organization of Islamic Conference. Over the years Dr. Gomaa has been involved in many activities aimed at strengthening Islam throughout the Muslim world and communicating a more balanced view of Islam in the non-Muslim world. Despite a hectic schedule, he still gives public lessons at al-Azhar mosque, Friday sermons at various locations across Egypt, and continues to publish works and articles on various aspects of Islamic thought.