His Excellency Professor Emeritus Dato Dr. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the International Academy of Islamic Jurisprudence of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and his delegation, were received by the Honorable Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Friday 24 jumaadah al ulah 1445, corresponding to December 8, 2023, at the Prime Minister’s office in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, Malaysia.

The Prime Minister welcomed his brother and dear friend His Excellency Professor Emeritus and his delegation, praising the appreciated efforts of the Academy in the field of moderation and tolerance, hoping that the meetings that the professor and his delegation held with Malaysian officials were fruitful, enabling greater cooperation and strategic partnership between the Academy and various Malaysian scientific and religious institutions particularly the Department of Religious Affairs (JAKIM).

He also particularly praised the efforts of the Academy relating to approaches to the Taliban in Afghanistan in order to allow young girls to continue their studies in all specializations and at all levels of education, and to allow women to participate in development efforts of their country, while hoping that this problem will find a rapid solution soon.

In this regard, he kindly reaffirmed Malaysia’s readiness to provide all necessary support to the Academy in particular and all OIC agencies in general in order to strengthen joint Islamic action and sustain the ties of brotherhood among Muslims.

For his part, His Excellency the Secretary General expressed to the honorable Prime Minister his sincere thanks and those of his delegation for the warm welcome and for having given this opportunity to meet him despite his very tight and busy schedule, welcoming the efforts of His Honorable and his government to support and strengthen cooperation among OIC Member States. He also expressed his great gratitude for the great support and attention that the Academy in particular and the OIC in general have received from the government and people of Malaysia since their inception until today.

He then took advantage of this great opportunity to express the sincere thanks of the OIC and the Academy for the participation of a high delegation from Malaysia in the delegation of Umma scholars who visited Kabul last September, while expressing optimism about the possibility of finding in the near future an appropriate and urgent solution to the issue of girls’ education and women’s work in Afghanistan inshaa Allah. He also expressed the deep gratitude of the Ummah scholars for his sustained and continuous efforts in defending the Palestinian cause, which the Ummah scholars consider to be a sacred issue, a religious issue and a human rights issue, seeking further integration of its efforts with the efforts of his brothers, Their Majesties, Highnesses, Excellencies, leaders of the Islamic world, in order to force the Zionist occupying government in Israel to immediately stop killing innocent civilians, including women, children and the elderly, and destroying infrastructure such as hospitals, universities, schools, places of worship, streets and facilities, as well as the unjust and aggressive destruction of homes on the heads of their inhabitants, boldly defying all traditions and international and humanitarian laws.

He also conveyed to His Honorable the aspiration of the Ummah scholars to provide more support and care to the Palestinian people, especially the displaced, by providing opportunities for education and decent living. He concluded his speech by calling on His Honorable to consider the possibility of Malaysia hosting one of the annual sessions of the Academy. A request that was favourably accepted.

Finally, he renewed his thanks to His Honorable for conferring on his humble person the title of Professor Emeritus by Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia, in recognition of his remarkable contributions to the advancement of quality education in Malaysia, praying to God to preserve His Honorable, grant him good health and bless him and the people of Malaysia.

At the end of the meeting, His Honorable made this wonderful statement:

“This afternoon in Putrajaya, I received a visit from the Secretary General of the International Academy of Islamic Jurisprudence (IIFA), Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Koutoub Moustapha Sano. JAKIM Director General Datuk Hajah Hakimah Mohd Yusoff was also present. I express my appreciation of the initiative implemented by the emeritus professor, which aims to elevate the dignity of women through the culture of knowledge and a system of systematic studies in several Islamic countries. I also shared the aspect of educational aid to Palestine, which was praised by the professor emeritus. The coherent and dynamic link between the Academy and Malaysia must be continued, particularly through JAKIM with the organization of international research programs and educational seminars in the future.

This effort is in line with the objectives of Malaysia MADANI, which include attracting synergy from various walks of life to examine religious affairs in a true and balanced understanding and understand the socio-culture of the society based on the Quran and Sunnah.”

The meeting was attended by special advisors to the Prime Minister and Ms. Sarah Amjad, Director of the Department of Family, Women and Youth at the Academy, as well as Dr. Alhagi Manta Drammeh, Head of International Cooperation and External Relations Division at the Academy.

Hence, it should also be noted that the honorable Prime Minister and His Excellency Professor Emeritus have been very good friends for decades and they affectionately share the same vision of balance and moderation on subjects linked to fraternal relations which should exist between followers of religions.