Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb described talk shows aired on the Egyptian satellite channels as “lacking direction and not leading to meaningful conversations.”

In a press release on Tuesday, Tayyeb said, “most of the talk shows lack direction. They start with introductions that don’t lead to meaningful conversations, and this is the fault of the interviewer and interviewees.”

The heated political debates between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsy has been heavily featured on evening talk shows, and have escalated in the last two weeks. Morsy had issued a constitutional declaration on 22 November, which protected his decisions from legal challenges and shielded Constituent Assembly and Shura Council from dissolution by courts.

The opposition considered the declaration an attempt to dominate them, while supporters reasoned it as an attempt to protect state institutions against dissolution and prevent former regime figures from reassuming power.

Tayyeb stressed that dialogue between political and social in the country in the only means to achieve stability. “Dialogue is recommended by Islam, but it should be meaningful and the results [of the dialogue] should be reached.”

Al-Azhar has a prominent role in bringing together opposing forces, he said, claiming that the institution’s duty is to look for an exit from the crisis and protect the people from conflicts stoked by others.