Her Majesty Queen Consort Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah bint Sultan Iskandar Al-Hajj, Chancellor of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), conferred the title of Emeritus Professor on H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy. The award ceremony took place on Saturday morning, 11 Jumada Al-Ula, 1445, corresponding to 25 November 2023, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in recognition of his distinguished contributions and appreciated efforts in promoting quality education in Malaysia in particular and the Muslim world in general.

The award is considered to be the highest distinction awarded in the field of higher education in Malaysian universities, and IIUM justified the award to His Excellency by stating: “H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano is regarded as an eminent Islamic thinker and statesman, whose illustrious intellectual and professional career spans academic circles, research fields and public services, as well as public and judicious diplomacy at the highest level. His Excellency graduated with honors from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, where he earned a master’s degree in Islamic jurisprudence and its principles, then he went went on to obtain a PhD in Islamic Law from the International Islamic University of Malaysia and a State Doctorate in Islamic Finance with distinction from Ez-Zitouna University in Tunisia. His Excellency began his academic career at the university as a lecturer in the Department of Revealed Knowledge and Islamic Heritage, serving as associate professor and then professor, until he became a professor at the age of thirty-five, thus becoming the youngest professor in the university’s history.

His Excellency is fluent in several languages, which has enabled him to write twenty-six outstanding works in Arabic, English and French. On his return to his homeland, the Republic of Guinea, His Excellency held several ministerial posts, first as Minister of Religious Affairs, then as Minister of International Cooperation, Minister Designate for Diplomatic Affairs at the Presidency of the Republic, and finally as Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Republic”.

His Excellency has held the position of Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) since 2020. Today, the Academy is considered the Muslim world’s largest and most eminent contemporary and international reference in Fiqh and collective ijtihad, as its members and experts are among the Ummah’s most eminent scholars in various fields of knowledge and thought. This is one of the reasons why the International Islamic University Malaysia decided to award the Secretary General of the Academy that medal in celebration and appreciation of his efforts and contributions.