Born in Egypt · Nationality Egyptian — Religion / Sunni Islam / Al-Azhar

Mohammed Abd al-Rahman Bissar

Also known as: Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Bisar, Mohamed Abdel Rahman Bissar, محمد عبد الرحمن بيصار

Egyptian philosopher and theologian (1910–1982), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar from 1979 to 1982.

Mohammed Abd al-Rahman Bissar led Al-Azhar from 1979 to 1982 under President Anwar Sadat. His endorsement of the Egypt–Israel peace treaty and reported opposition to the Ja‘fari Shia school were disputed. Later accounts also criticised his proximity to the government during its crackdown on opposition.

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Profile No. 6100 · Updated on 8 November 2026

1Documented controversy

1Source

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

March–May 1979

1979: religious endorsement of the peace treaty with Israel

No legal proceedings

After Egypt and Israel signed their treaty, Bissar justified it by citing Islamic precedents permitting peace with an adversary. An academic study cites his contemporary statements and news-agency reports. This aligned him with President Sadat amid considerable regional opposition to the treaty.

State of the evidence: Statement referenced in academic research citing Al-Ahram of 26 March 1979.
Legal status — source text: No documented personal court proceedings; political or religious controversy.
Attribution: Religious endorsement of a disputed diplomatic decision.

Sources · 1

[1]
Al Jazeera Arabicعبد الرحمن بيصار.. المفتي المتكيف مع السادات8 August 2016MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 8 November 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

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Controversia profile, updated 8 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/mohammed-abd-al-rahman-bissar