H.E. Hajiya Datu Hakimah Yusuf, Director-General of the Islamic Development Administration (JAKIM) at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya, held a meeting with the IIFA delegation visiting Malaysia on Monday, 20 Jumada al-Ula 1445, corresponding to December 4, 2023. The Delegation was headed by H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, IIFA’s Secretary-General.

H.E. Hajiya Datu Hakimah Yusuf expressed her great pleasure and appreciation for meeting with H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano and his accompanying delegation, congratulating His Excellency on receiving the Emeritus Honor from the hands of H.M. Queen of Malaysia and IIUM’s Chancellor. She added: “We believe that this recognition and honour is, in fact, recognition of Your Excellency’s extensive knowledge and your great contributions to education. We hope that this will encourage Your Excellency to make further contributions and efforts in education and knowledge as a brilliant and proficient scholar in the sciences of Islamic law.” Her Excellency then spoke about the aspiration of the Islamic Development Department to build a strategic partnership and close cooperation with the Academy in all fields, especially in the areas of examining current issues and developments that occur in reality, through coordinating fatwas and organizing specialized seminars and conferences on some issues and matters of common interest.

For his part, the Secretary-General expressed, on behalf of IIFA, his sincere thanks and gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality to the delegation since its arrival to Malaysia, noting the distinguished central role and active presence of Malaysia in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and within its various organs, praising the unlimited support that IIFA enjoys from Malaysia as a government and people, from its inception to the present day. His Excellency added: “We are looking forward to strengthening cooperation, partnership and coordination with the Islamic Development Department, and we are also studying the possibility of opening an office of IIFA in Malaysia to coordinate the projects, programs and activities that IIFA may plan to conduct in OIC’s member states that fall under the Asian group.”

The meeting discussed several issues, including the recent amendments to the draft of the MoU that the two parties will sign in the coming days. The meeting also discussed starting preparations for holding joint scientific seminars in the fields of facilitating jurisprudence, the halal industry, the rights of people with special needs, and other topics of common interest.

The Deputy Director-General and a number of her staff attended the meeting. The delegation was composed of Mrs. Sarah bint Amjad Bediwi, Director of Family, Women and Children Affairs, and Dr. Alhagi Manta Drammeh, Head of the International Cooperation and External Relations Department at the Academy.