For centuries, Cairo’s Al-Azhar University served as the hub of global Islamic learning, its grand imam considered an authority on religious and public life for Sunni Muslims far beyond the borders of Egypt.
But over the years, the university’s hold over the interpretation of key Islamic concepts, including jihad, weakened amid competition from extremist groups such as the Islamic State, organizations with proven capabilities for deploying digital tools just as effectively as they do explosive devices.
In response, this 1,044-year-old institution decided to up its game.
