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heikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al Azhar, who is considered to be one of the most moderate Sunni clerics in Egypt, touched down in Jakarta on Saturday for a visit to the country with the world'€™s largest Muslim population.

During his visit, el-Tayeb is scheduled to meet with President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo as well as top Muslim clerics and preachers, according to the press release. The Religious Affairs Ministry has confirmed the plan regarding his historic visit to Jakarta.

El-Tayeb will also attend a gathering of the World Association of Al Azhar Graduates and will be granted an honorary doctorate to recognize his scientific and religious roles in spreading the moderate values of Islam and denouncing violence and terrorism.

There are some 5,000 Indonesian citizens in Egypt, the majority of them students in Cairo and other cities. In its efforts to enhance educational ties with Egypt, Indonesia has donated four student dormitory buildings for students at Al Azhar University.

Last September, Jokowi and visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi discussed efforts to advocate peaceful Islamic values, emphasizing the need to strengthen cooperation to counter extremism.

Jokowi has repeatedly underlined that a soft approach is essential to address the root causes of radicalism and that adopting a hard-line approach could be counterproductive in the country '€” which is home to various Muslim groups. Jokowi recently also called on clerics and Muslim leaders across the country to help the government crack down on firebrand sermons by promoting preaching on peaceful Islam, in a move to prevent terrorism from gaining influence in the country.