On Friday, 26 Safar 1446, corresponding to 30 August 2024, H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, at the kind invitation of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs of the Republic of Cameroon, held a consultative meeting with the Council members at its headquarters in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

H.E. Sheikh Dr. Abdulkarim Abu Yarmah, President of the Council, warmly welcomed H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano and his accompanying delegation, and expressed his sincere thanks for honoring the Council’s invitation and approving to sign an MoC with the Islamic Council of Cameron. H.E. Sheikh Yarmah praised the outstanding intellectual level of Prof. Sano and the abundant scientific products of His Excellency, which have made him admired by followers, listeners, and readers. His Eminence also expressed his utmost appreciation and gratitude for signing an MoC with the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, which is considered the Muslim world’s leading and pioneering jurisprudential authority. He concluded by briefing His Excellency and the accompanying delegation on the activities of the Council and its continuous efforts to unify Muslims and promote integration and cooperation among the various Islamic institutions, associations, and organizations in Cameroon.

For his part, the Secretary General of the Academy expressed his thanks to H.E. Sheikh Yarmah and the Council’s executive members for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and the Academy’s delegation, expressing his pleasure in holding this meeting and his aspiration to establish a cooperative relationship with the esteemed Council. His Excellency also congratulated him on his election as President of the Council, then gave a general overview of the Academy’s vision, objectives, and mission, pointing out that the latter seeks, among other things, to present Islamic law in a moderate way, based on disseminating the values of balance and tolerance, rejecting fanaticism, extremism, and terrorism, as well as highlighting the ability of Islamic jurisprudence to keep abreast of issues and provide effective practical solutions to contemporary life issues. His Excellency added: “One of the main objectives, as stipulated in the Academy’s strategic plan, is to achieve intellectual convergence and knowledge integration between jurists from the recognized schools of Islamic jurisprudence and experts specialized in the field of human, social, natural and applied sciences to clarify the Sharia position on contemporary life issues.”

His Excellency called on the Council to continue its efforts to unify the Islamic ranks and bring together all Islamic organizations, associations, and institutions operating in Cameroon. He also called on those in charge of these institutions to consider to the Council as the major reference on issues and matters of concern to Muslims in Cameroon, especially in respecting the Council’s rulings on the dates of fasting and religious holidays, and to respect the differences between doctrinal, jurisprudential and educational schools, and the importance of overcoming sectarian, ideological and ethnic divisions by respecting and accepting everyone. He also called on them to focus more on similarities, respect the differences in doctrinal, theological, and educational doctrines, and the importance of avoiding sectarian, ideological, and ethnical divisions by embracing everyone, which is proved by the Prophet’s PBUH hadith, “the parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever” This hadith, in fact, establishes what should always be the relationship between Muslims everywhere, which is the unity of feelings represented in the sharing of joys and sorrows and the unity of rituals represented in the unity of the ranks and the unification of the word.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides signed a memorandum of cooperation. The meeting was attended by a number of Cameroonian Council members; in addition to Ms. Sarah Amjad Bedewi, Supervisor the Secretary General’s Cabinet, Dr. Alhagi Manta Drammeh, Head of International Cooperation and External Relations, and Mr. Saad Salahuddin Al-Samar, Head of the Media Division, at the Academy.