H.E. Dr. Indus Haj Shamswar, Governor of the Province of Riau in the Republic of Indonesia, and the accompanying delegation visited the Academy’s headquarters in Jeddah, on Thursday 21 Shawal 1444, corresponding to 11 May 2023, and were received by H.E. Prof. Koutoub Sano, Secretary General of the Academy.

His Excellency welcomed his honourable guest and the accompanying delegation, thanked him for his visit, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Republic of Indonesia for its support to the Academy and its willingness to strengthen cooperation, communication and partnership, and reassured his guest of Indonesia’s importance as the largest Muslim country in the world and a founding member of the Academy. His Excellency then gave an overview of the Academy, its activities and achievements, carried out in the recent period, and the developments it has witnessed, noting in this regard the prestigious position and great appreciation that the Academy receives from the OIC Member States, as it is the leading contemporary jurisprudential reference for the Ummah, with its membership consisting of the leading scholars and jurists of the Ummah representing the eight schools of Islamic law. On this occasion, His Excellency called for strengthening Indonesia’s role in the Academy by appointing a new member representing Indonesia.

For his part, the Governor of Riau expressed his honour and thanks for visiting the Academy and told His Excellency that the purpose of this visit is to strengthen the strong fraternal relations and fruitful cooperation with the Academy and to take advantage of it to address many local and regional issues. His Excellency also expressed his appreciation for the work of the Academy in his country, especially in the field of Islamic education and economics in Riau Province, Indonesia. His Excellency hence gave a brief overview of the Muslim-majority province of Riau in Indonesia, which is one of the centres for the development of the Islamic economy and halal industry in Indonesia.

His Excellency also expressed his aspiration for more strategic partnerships with the Academy, to make the most of the Academy’s resolutions issued by the leading scholars of the Ummah, especially in the field of halal industry, and to establish a benchmark for teaching and research on the Holy Qur’an, Hadith and Islamic economics in Southeast Asia.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdulqahir Qamar, Director of the Studies and Research Department, and Mr. Mohamed Walid Al-Idrisi, Director of Media and IT at the Academy.