H.E. Mr Andrew McDonald, Advisor for Political Affairs at the Embassy of the United States of America in Saudi Arabia, accompanied by Mr. Sayed Rizk, Political Expert at the American Consulate in Jeddah, and Mrs. Fatima Martin, Deputy Consul for Political and Economic Affairs at the Consulate General in Jeddah, visited the headquarters of the Secretariat General of IIFA in Jeddah. Om Tuesday 27 Jumada al-Akhirah 1445, corresponding to 9 January 2024.

H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy, welcomed H.E. Mr Andrew McDonald and his delegation, thanked them for their visit, and gave them an overview of the Academy’s vision, mission and efforts in promoting the values of moderation, coexistence and dialogue between followers of religions, as well as its initiatives in defending women’s right to education and participation in renaissance and development within the OIC’s Member states and in Muslim communities. His Excellency also spoke about the scientific symposium that the Academy plans to organize on the theme of violence against women in the Muslim world, calling on specialized American associations and institutions to participate in this symposium. His Excellency concluded his speech by expressing the OIC’s aspiration that the United States fulfills its historic role in forcing the Zionist entity to put an end to its brutal attacks against the Palestinian people in Gaza and all occupied Palestinian cities and to work for the implementation of United Nations resolutions on the two-state solution, stressing that ending the horrific massacres taking place in occupied Palestine is the responsibility of the international community, led by the United States of America, with its influence and ability to put an end to Israel’s flagrant and unprecedented violations of human rights, the killing of innocent children, women and the elderly, and the destruction of infrastructures without restraint or deterrence.

For his part, the U.S. Embassy’s Political Affairs Advisor expressed his thanks to the Secretary General for the warm welcome, and for the additional information on IIFA’s vision, mission and objectives, which are broadly in line with the core values of the United States of America. He also stressed the importance of continuing to cooperate in order to spread common values in all areas, including religious freedom, women’s education and preserving minority rights. He thanked the Secretary General for his efforts in resolving the crisis of girls’ education in Afghanistan, his support in the fight against extremism and fanaticism, and the promotion of human brotherhood in the world.

The meeting was attended by Mr Al-Moez Abdel Razzaq Al-Riahi, Director of Finance, Investments and Projects, and Mr Muhammad Walid Al-Idrissi, Director of Media and Public Relations.