Leading the conversation on Egypt in the international press this morning: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s imminent visit to the US. Human rights groups are ramping up efforts to lobby Congress to take a tougher line on President El Sisi when he lands in Washington, DC, for talks today, CNN reports. The New Jersey Star Ledger has an opinion piece on the topic.

The growing international presence and influence of Al Azhar has caught the eye of the Egyptian government and the international press, as Al Monitor reports on the divergence in religious discourse between the Al Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb and President Abdelfattah El Sisi. The piece comes as Al Azhar International Academy, which Tayeb established last year, began offering courses to train imams and preachers from 20 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Nigeria earlier this month.

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