His Excellency Sheikh Muhammad Qasim Halimi, Minister of Guidance, Hajj and Endowments of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, held a virtual consultative meeting on Wednesday, 20 of Dhu al-Qa’dah 1442 corresponding to June 30, 2021, with His Excellency Professor Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA).

His Excellency the Minister began his speech by expressing his great thanks, appreciation, and gratitude to His Excellency the Secretary General of the Academy for the blessed and successful efforts of the Academy in spreading true Islam, correcting concepts, and promoting moderation and temperance, noting in this regard that the Academy is almost the only shariah international reference that is respected and accepted by all scholars and jurists from all over the world. He pointed out that the Academy’s decisions and recommendations are well accepted by scholars and thinkers around the world and expressed in particular his great appreciation and admiration for the knowledge and intellectual capacity of His Excellency the Secretary General of the Academy, who is also respected and appreciated by scholars and jurists in the Muslim world.

Then His Excellency the Minister expressed to the Secretary General the desire of the Afghan government for the Academy to play a major role in achieving reconciliation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by organizing a conference or symposium that brings together the senior scholars of Afghanistan to discuss achieving the desired reconciliation between the conflicting parties. The minister concluded his speech by expressing his confidence in the ability of the Academy to achieve this request in the shortest possible time.

For his part, His Excellency the Secretary General of the Academy greeted His Excellency the Minister, and thanked him for this valuable initiative, which is at the core of the Academy’s mandate, especially with regard to achieving intellectual convergence and enhancing cooperation, communication, and rapprochement among the nation’s scholars. The Secretary General also confirmed the Academy’s firm stance to preserve blood, lives, and properties based on strong evidence from the Holy Quran and the Noble Sunnah. The Secretary General meanwhile welcomed the initiative of His Excellency the Minister, promising him the Academy’s readiness to play a prominent role in achieving reconciliation and peace between the conflicting parties in the near future.

The two sides agreed to continue their meetings in the coming days to further discuss ways to materialize the initiative as soon as possible.