The Islamic Advisory Group held its eighth regular meeting on Wednesday 04 Jumada Al-Ula 1443H corresponding to 08 December 2021G, in the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Cairo, Egypt.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), His Excellency Mr. Hussein Ibrahim Taha, and the head of the co-group, His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid, President of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), Advisor at the Royal Court, Member of the Council of Senior Scholars, imam and khatib of the Grand Mosque, and Undersecretary of Al-Azhar His Excellency Prof. Mohammad Al-Dhawini, representing the Grand Imam, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the co-chair of the co-group, and the Director General of the Eastern Mediterranean Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Salem Al-Mandhari. The Director of the Research, Studies and Fatwas Department of the Academy, Dr. Abdel Qaher Mohammad Qamar, representing the Secretary General of the Academy, His Excellency Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, a member of the group’s executive committee, also participated in the meeting.

In his speech, His Excellency the President of the Academy indicated that the idea of ​​the advisory team arose when some in a number of our Islamic countries refrained from allowing their children to take polio vaccines based on fabricated rumors about those vaccines, stressing in this regard that history is repeating itself today with the Corona pandemic , where we find some refrain from taking vaccinations due to the spread of the same rumors about the contents of the vaccines, their feasibility and their efficiency. Hence the role of religious institutions and the Islamic advisory group in educating communities about what is beneficial to them and preserving their health.

His Excellency seized this occasion by expressing his heartfelt thanks to all doctors, nurses, and health practitioners, in appreciation of the sacrifices they made in the face of the emerging Corona pandemic, and for their appreciated efforts in treating and preventing from it and spreading awareness about it. His Excellency also said: “Following the shariah rulings in our Muslim countries and communities has played a major role in the consolidation of community health awareness, and in the commitment of community members to health precautionary measures and their positive acceptance of vaccinations and immunizations without objections, which was positively reflected in the decrease in the number of infections and overcoming the critical stages of this pandemic”.

The meeting issued a final statement that included the most important recommendations and directives issued by the group.

It should be noted that the Islamic Advisory Group is an Islamic federation, established in 2013 between Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Islamic Development Bank Group, and it includes religious scholars and technical experts. The group is keen to continue supporting global initiatives seeking to protect human health and promote awareness of priority public health issues in local communities, by aligning technical and religious perspectives, and benefiting from religious scholars, imams, and community influencers.