H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of IIFA, received H.E. Dr. Osama Hassan Muhammad Ahmed, Minister of Religious Affairs and Awqaf of the Republic of Sudan, and the accompanying delegation, on Tuesday 27 Jumada al-Akhirah 1445, corresponding to 9 January 2024, at IIFA’s headquarters of the Academy in Jeddah.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency the Minister expressed his deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Secretary General for the warm reception and welcome extended to him, and his honor to visit this distinguished scientific institution, which is considered the leading jurisprudential reference for Muslims worldwide. He then expressed his satisfaction at the qualitative developments at all levels, particularly regarding strengthening cooperation ties with scientific institutions, notably the Academy of Islamic Fiqh in Sudan, and the implementation of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the two academies.

For his part, the Secretary General welcomed his guest again, thanked him for this visit, and expressed his regret for what is happening in the brotherly country, the Republic of Sudan, in the light of these painful and unfortunate events, praying to Allah to spare blood, and for harmony, reconciliation, and stability to return to the country in the near future. He also expressed his confidence in regional and international mediation efforts to enable Sudan to continue its efforts toward development and prosperity. His Excellency concluded his speech by reiterating the Academy’s sincere thanks and great appreciation to the Republic of Sudan for its continuous and ongoing support to the Academy, since its inception to the present day. His Excellency made special mention of the efforts of the eminent Sudanese academics who have contributed to the advancement of the Academy, starting with H.E. Prof. Ahmed Khaled Babeker, former Secretary General of the Academy, and H.E. Sheikh Dr Al-Siddiq Muhammad Al-Amin Al-Darir, among others.

The meeting was attended by Sudan’s Ambassador Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Ali, Acting Consul General, Dr. Muhammad Abdel Wahab, Secretary of the Hajj and Umrah Secretariat, and Mr Khaled Abu Bakr, Resident Coordinator for Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia, as well as by Dr. Abdulfatah Abnaouf, Director of Planning and international cooperation, Mr Mohamed Walid Al-Idrisi, Director of Media and Public Relations, and Mr Moez Al-Riahi, Director of Finance, Investments and Projects at the Academy.