H.E. Mr. Hussein Ibrahim Taha, the new Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Chairman of the Bureau of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), chaired on Thursday 26 Jumada al Ula 1443H correspondent to 30 December 2021G, the second Meeting of the Bureau of the Academy for the year 2021, via virtual communication technology.

The Meeting was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Hamid, Advisor to the Royal Court, member of the Board of Senior Scholars, Imam of the Grand Mosque of Makkah, President of the Academy, Deputy Chairman of the Bureau, His Excellency Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy, and Secretary of the Bureau, as well as the distinguished members of the Bureau, Sheikh Dr. Abu Bakr al-Doukouri, and Sheikh Prof. Ajeel Al-Nashmi.

His Excellency the Secretary General of the OIC opened the meeting by expressing his great thanks and appreciation to the excellencies and dignitaries for their participation, and their continued support for the Academy, praising the great role played by the Academy in spreading the culture of moderation and tolerance, combating extremism, terrorism, violence and exclusion, as well as the great and esteemed efforts of the Academy in promoting cooperation and coordination between fatwa councils and Shariah bodies among member states of OIC. On this occasion, he expressed his pleasure and pride at the outstanding achievements made by the Academy in the recent period since His Excellency Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano took over the General Secretariat of the Academy.

On his part, His Excellency Sheikh Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid, President of the Academy, expressed his great thanks and appreciation to the Secretary General of the OIC for the continued support for the Academy, and expressed his gratitude to the members of the Bureau for their presence and participation in support of the efforts of the Academy, and then praised the commendable achievements made by the Academy under the leadership of His Excellency the Secretary General and his assistants, pointing out that what was stated in the report of the General Secretariat of the Academy for the meeting is the clearest testimony to this.

The Meeting then discussed the items on the agenda presented by His Excellency the Secretary General of the Academy, beginning with the warmest congratulations and blessings to the Secretary General of the OIC on the occasion of his assumption of the leadership of the Secretariat, wishing him success in his endeavours, and stressing the readiness of the Academy to provide all the necessary support and cooperation to the success of his Excellency’s efforts in the Secretariat of the OIC. He also thanked His Excellency Dr. Yousuf bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, former Secretary General of the OIC, for his great support and care for the Academy throughout his tenure, wishing him well in his new engagements. On behalf of the Academy, the Presidency and Secretariat, members, experts and employees, the Secretary General of the Academy expressed his great thanks and gratitude to the host State of the headquarters of the Academy, its leadership, and people, for their great support, great care, and facilities to enable the Academy to implement easily all its activities, programmes, and projects.

His Excellency the Secretary General then presented the items of the meeting, which included the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting of the Bureau. The members of the Board were informed of the recommendations and conclusions of the specialized scientific symposia and seminars organized by the General Secretariat of the Academy, as well as cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding signed by the General Secretariat of the Academy with several ministries, councils, and scientific institutions. The items also included a discussion of nominations by member States of new members to the Council of the Academy.

At the end of the meeting, His Excellency the Chairman of the Bureau and the Excellencies members of the Bureau recorded their great satisfaction and deep appreciation for the achievements made by the General Secretariat of the Academy at all levels despite the circumstances of the Corona pandemic, which affected all walks of life. They all expressed their great appreciation to the Secretary General and commended greatly the stable financial situation of the Academy over the past year as a result of its successful efforts and continues to be made by the General Secretariat of the Academy in collecting arrears and contributions from member States, which enabled the Academy to complete many outstanding activities and programmes and achieve a surplus in its budget for this year.