Al Azhar denied teaching "In the Shadow of the Qur'an" by Sayed Qotb.

In a statement Sunday, the media center at al Azhar denied allegations on some news websites.

It also rejected smear campaigns by media outlets which aimed at undermining Al Azhar and its scholars.

The library of al Azhar did not open its doors until now for researchers, said al Azhar, adding that books could exist at the library to be well studied and criticized.