H.E. Mr. Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Chairman of the Bureau of the Academy, chaired the Bureau’s first meeting in 2024 on Thursday 04 Safar 1446, corresponding to 8 August, 2024, via videoconferencing.

The meeting was attended by H.E. Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid, Advisor at the Saudi Royal Court, Member of the Council of Senior Scholars, Imam-Khatib at Makkah Grand Mosque and President of the Academy, H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy and Secretary of the Bureau’ and the distinguished members of the Bureau, namely: H.E. Dr. Abubakar Doukouri, H.E. Dr. Tijani Saboon, H.E. Dr. Ajil Jassim Al-Nashimi, H.E. Dr. Ahmed Abdulaziz Al-Haddad, H.E. Qadi Muhammad Taqi Usmani, and H.E. Dr. Murtaza Badr.

The Secretary-General of the OIC welcomed the members of the Bureau in their first meeting in 2024, thanking them for their continuous support for the Academy and praising the President of the Academy, Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid, for the support and guidance he provides to the Academy to achieve the noble goals for which it was established. He also thanked H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy, for his distinguished efforts in promoting the Academy through the implementation of its programs and activities, including interreligious dialogue and highlighting the values of Islam and its teachings on peace, tolerance and justice.

The President of the Academy and Vice President of the Bureau greeted the OIC Secretary General and the Bureau members, thanking them for their participation and continuous support for the Academy, and then expressed, on behalf of the Academy, the his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Prime Minister – may Allah protect them – for their generous sponsorship of the Academy since its creation to this day, in addition to speaking about the Qatar’s Amiri approval to host the 26th Session of the Academy in Doha.

The Secretary-General of the Academy then expressed his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, for all the services provided to the Academy at all levels, which enabled it to organize its activities and programs and implement its projects with ease.

The meeting then discussed the items on the agenda presented by the Secretary General of the Academy, which included the approval of the minutes of the previous Bureau meeting and reviewing the MoCs signed by the Secretariat General of the Academy with several religious and scientific institutions within the OIC Member States from Jumada Al-Akhira 1445 to Muharram 1446. The agenda also included a discussion of the new members nominations submitted by countries for the Council of the Academy, as well as a financial report on member states’ contributions to the Academy’s budget for the current year.

After discussing some procedures related to membership approval, the Bureau approved new members to the Council of the Academy, namely Dr. Hisham Ben Mahmoud representing the Republic of Tunisia, Mr. Tariq Abdullah representing the Republic of Mozambique, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Shahim Ali Saeed representing the Republic of Maldives, and Sheikh Nuruddin Khaliq Nazif representing the Republic of Uzbekistan.

At the end of the meeting, The President of the Academy and the Bureau members expressed their deep appreciations for the achievements of the Secretariat General at all levels, especially with regard to the payment of contributions arrears by some countries, and for the diligent work and continuous communication with Muslims all over the world, and urged the Member States that continue paying their contributions.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdulfatah Abnauf, Director of the Planning, Development and International Cooperation Department, and Mr. Saad Al-Samar, Head of the Media Department.