His Excellency the Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy Professor Koutoub Moustapha SANO received on Monday 29 from Rabi` al-Thani 1442, corresponding to December 14, 2020, in his office at Djeddah, the Consul General and Permanent Representative of France to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Mr. Moustafa Mirage.

His Excellency, the secretary general of the Academy welcomed his guest, who came to congratulate him on having taken up his duties as secretary general of the Academy, and in order to discuss the ways and means to enable strengthen cooperation and partnership between the Academy and institutions responsible for the management of religions in France.

After thanking his host for his congratulations and for his visit at this time when France’s relations with the Islamic world are experiencing turbulence and an uncomfortable turn, His Excellency the Secretary General spoke of the intellectual and scientific responsibility entrusted to the Academy as the jurisprudicial arm of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and as the premier reference for the Islamic world and Muslim societies around the world in relation to the clarification of Sharia provisions and rulings relating to matters that concern Muslims.

His Excellency also spoke of the importance of knowing the biography of the Messenger of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Hail be upon Him and His family). This Prophet was a unique model of mercy, justice, honesty, purity and clarity, for there is nothing in his biography that one could be afraid to show it or of which one would not be proud of highlighting it. Accordingly The Prophet remains a model for Muslims and others in terms of fairness, humanism, justice, affection and love.

His Excellency said in his intervention that those who are insulting this noble Prophet are due to their blatant ignorance of his real life which was filled with success and his exceptional humanism. To this end, it will be necessary to strengthen the cooperation between the Academy and scientific and intellectual organizations in France in order to make known the real biography of the Prophet, and to explain the teachings of which the message of Islam consisted which are based on moderation, openness and rejection of exaggeration, extremism and violence.

In addition, His Excellency also expressed to his guest the categorical opposition of the Academy to any attempt to use Islam and its teachings in order to settle political scores or fuel conflicts and clashes between the peoples of the world, emphasizing the absolute sanctity of blood, and Islam’s rejection of all who shed blood in its name or those who advocate violence in all its forms in its name.

Also His Excellency affirmed to his guest the will of the Academy to contribute through its members and its experts known for their moderation and their knowledge to the correction of the false stereotype on Islam, its essence and its messenger, whether by those who ignore it or by those who exploit it for suspicious purposes, as well as the will of the Academy to get in touch with the Muslim community of France in order to fight extremism and violence under all its manifestations and forms in thought or behavior, and in order to correct any concepts which create a conflict with the fundamental principles and purposes of Islam.

The Permanent Representative of France thanked His Excellency for the additional information he had provided on the mission of the academy and the important role it plays in the field of awareness, guidance and correction of concepts. He also expressed to His Excellency France’s commitment to strengthen relations of cooperation and communication with the peoples of the Muslim world, noting his deep regret for the inaccurate interpretation of the words of the President of the French Republic, who he described as respectful of Islam and of all religions practiced by French citizens, asserting in this regard that France is neither against Islam nor against Muslims, and the greatest proof of this is that Islam is the second religion in France, There are approximately six million French Muslims who are fully integrated with the values ​​and principles of the French Republic, and that 99% of these Muslims in France do not disagree with the state, and that a real confrontation exists between the State and groups which do not believe in the principles and values ​​of the Republic, in particular the principle of freedom of expression and the secularism of the State.

Finaly, the permanent representative warmly welcomed the academy’s willingness to further strengthen collaborative ties with the French government and the Muslim community in France in order to promote harmony and positive integration.
At the end of his visit, he told His Excellency that he would seek to organize a working visit and a special meeting between His Excellency the Secretary General and the French authorities responsible for the Islamic religion, in the hope of fruitful cooperation and good relations between the Academy and France.