Leading Global Islamic projects through civilized communication and the Establishment of Moderate Discourse from Mecca to the Asian East

The appointment of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa as Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, "the largest Islamic organization" in the world, was not a coincidence, but rather it had been carefully studied.

Sheikh Al-Issa, who came from a strong academic background on the field of Shariah, and then strengthened by high positions he assumed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, placed him as one of the shining facades of moderate Ulama and Fuqaha, not only at the level of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, but of the world as a whole.

Sheikh Al-Issa gained, through his journeys as Minister of Justice and a member of the Council of Senior Ulama, which is considered the first fatwa reference in Saudi Arabia and many Muslims in the world, a lot of experiences besides his solid knowledge on Shariah that he received from the hands of senior Saudi Ulama, and made him combine the strength of knowledge and good skills of management, and qualified him to assume the position of Secretary-General of the Muslim World League.

Since Al-Issa gained this confidence in receiving this important and vital position, he took the League, which is based in Mecca Al-Mukarramah as its main headquarters, from its traditional framework of work to a broader and more welcoming horizon, and corrects many of the misconceptions that distorted the image of moderate Islam.

Sheikh Dr. Al-Essa, who, in addition to his duties as Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, holds many positions, including the head of the Association of Muslim Ulama, and the President of the Association of Islamic Universities, is a model for the renewal stage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in accordance with the Kingdom’s vision 2030.

He also leads an Enlightening Project launched by the Kingdom for the world that corrects misconceptions and presents the true image of Islam that calls for coexistence, and put first dialogue as a means to perpetuate these understandings.

Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa emerged as an international official in charge of an international organization that handles issues of dialogue, coexistence and tolerance between religions, and between peoples and nationalities. The League and its affiliated organizations work on issues of dialogue, spreading moderation, humanitarian relief, and managing dialogue in global forums.

Sheikh Al-Issa, with his wisdom and foresight, realized the value of East Asia, the most important depth of the Islamic world, with its countries characterized by large populations and modern progress at all levels, and their peoples’ inclination towards moderate discourse and the exclusion of extremism and terrorism.

There were several forums, conferences and symposia in this regard that had a positive and great impact, and perhaps the most important of them was the Forum: "Youth of Southeast Asia" called for by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa, that came out with important recommendations to enhance the role of youth in representing the tolerance of Islam and spreading Islam.

The role of the League was not limited to forums and dialogue conferences, but extended to documenting Islamic history in the east of the yellow continent through the signing of the Muslim World League and the Biography of the Prophet Foundation in the Republic of Indonesia, an agreement to launch museums and exhibitions of the Prophet’s biography and Islamic civilization in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, as the first station of these museums that the League will adopt worldwide.

Perhaps among the latest contributions of the Muslim World League under the leadership of the venerable scholar Al-Issa is the Forum of Ulama of Southeast Asian, which was hosted by the Kingdom of Malaysia under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri Bin Yaakob, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Malaysia.

His Excellency Dr. Al-Issa's speech came to confirm that this meeting is exceptional and extraordinary as it brought together Ulama, in countries that have importance and weight in the map of our Islamic world and the world at large, "which are the Southeast Asian countries."

This important meeting was distinguished by the fact that it was in Malaysia, which, according to everyone's testimony, is a model of harmony between all its religious and ethnic components.

This meeting will be a good opening for a permanent council whose Ulama meet from time to time under the global umbrella of the Islamic peoples, which is the Muslim World League, where its headquarters is in Mecca al-Mukarramah, under the patronage of the League.

One of the most important outcomes of this international conference was the approval of His Excellency the Prime Minister, Mr. Dato Seri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob, to establish this council in Kuala Lumpur, to sponsor it, and to open it for its first session next year.

The statement of the Kuala Lumpur Conference summarizes the policy of the League in the era of Al-Issa, which is based on the fact that human relations and human unity are based on innate human principles and love of security, peace, justice and equality.

And that all human beings must know that differences between them in terms of color, custom, belief, culture or religion are not a cause for differences and conflicts. Because we are all brothers in humanity and we like to play a role to maintain security and coexist peacefully in this world.

This is in fact a legitimate demand and one of the purposes of Sharia that must be supported and acted upon by all parts of the Islamic nation. The starting point of the discourse from Mecca to the Asian East was a sign of its value as an Islamic depth and a strategic starting point for a moderate discourse that fights fanaticism as well as extremism and establishes the values ​​of coexistence, peace and love.

Forum "Shared Values"

The Forum "Shared Values ​​among Followers of Religions", hosted by the Muslim World League in Riyadh, with the participation of religious leaders from around the world last Shawwal, shows a great importance in consolidating the role of the Muslim World League as an independent international organization concerned with spreading the values ​​of Islam calling for the good of humanity.

 That is a cooperation with everyone on strengthening human commons for a more cooperative and peaceful world, and more coexisting and harmonious societies, starting from the land of Saudi Arabia, the land of radiation as well as Islamic and human communication.

The practical, intellectual and religious capabilities of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League in peaceful coexistence between religions in the world and achieving intellectual moderation among people, are among the most important pillars of the shared values ​​forum among followers of religions in Riyadh, as he is one of the most prominent Muslim scholars who advocate the teachings of our great religion and calls For dialogue and cooperation, especially in the circle of common participants that ensure optimal coexistence in our world for all human diversity.

Charter of Mecca

The "Charter of Mecca" is one of the outstanding works presented by His Excellency Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, as it represents the first Islamic consensus of its kind that expresses the word of Islamic Sharia scholars regarding important contemporary issues, as he supervised its preparation and issuance with the signature of Ulama from all Islamic sects, which confirms the level of great and exceptional impact of the charter, to represent a consolidation of global unity and coexistence, which His Excellency Dr. Al-Issa is working to consolidate among nations. From the contents of the Charter of Mecca Al-Mukarramah, which included a call for coexistence with full rights and duties with an emphasis on human dignity and right to exist with their legitimate freedom, during which he called for the importance of respecting the existence of diversity, in addition to dialogue and the alliance of civilizations, and not paying attention to the theory of coincidence and the clash of civilizations.

 Under his supervision on the Charter of Mecca Al-Mukarramah, more than 1,200 muftis and Ulama representing 27 sects of all diversity of Islamic Sharia scholars without exception, have signed the charter, from 139 countries, as a great achievement to be credited to the League and to His Excellency Dr. Al-Issa.

Visits to East Asia

The visits of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League of World Countries, carried a lofty goal of the League in order to preserve the Islamic identity of the ummah, enhance its position in the world and achieve its unity. His visit to Thailand came in response to an official invitation received from The Thai government, specifically in the contexts for activating inter-cooperation through initiatives and programs as the most important pillars that Dr. Al-Issa is working to achieve through the dissemination of the culture of Islam and its teachings of the tolerant Islamic Sharia. And that has been done through his fruitful meetings with Thai religious leaders "Islamic and Buddhist", through his dialogue with the head of the Buddhist spiritual leadership, the heads of Islamic councils and their central leadership on peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance among peoples.

The visit of Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa to the Republic of Maldives also reflected the level of satisfaction enjoyed by the Muslim World League among the leaders and peoples of the world, through his response to the invitation of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Maldives, Mr. Ibrahim Saleh, so that the visit would be a starting point for serving the Maldives and the countries of the region through Islamic programs and the exhibition of the Prophetic Biography and training workshops on the Charter of Mecca Al-Mukarramah.

Honor

In appreciation of his efforts in serving Islam and world peace, based on the Center for Radiation of Islam and Peace, the headquarters of the League in Mecca Al-Mukarramah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa was awarded by the President of the Republic of Maldives the Medal of Honor of the Republic, during His Excellency’s visit to the Maldives, in which he met with many Islamic and religious leaders and discussed them about many things of the joint cooperation programs to serve religion and humanity.

Dr. Al-Issa also visited the Islamic Center in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, and met with Cambodian Islamic leaders who praised the efforts of the League around the world, expressing their pride in the reputation it enjoys among senior political, parliamentary and religious leaders in Cambodia as a model among the international models that welcome the League around the world. This has a positive and direct impact on the Muslim minorities.

Sheikh Al-Issa’s sermon at the Grand Mosque in the capital, Phnom Penh, which was witnessed by hundreds of worshipers, had a great impact on the attendees, who were described as “historic for the Cambodian people, not preceded by a visit by a well-known Islamic figure like Al-Issa known to the Buddhist nation”, as it comes to enhance cooperation between followers of religions.

Person of the Year

In return for his great deeds towards Islam and Muslims and in order to achieve the principle of peaceful coexistence and religious moderation among people, the Kingdom of Malaysia awarded Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, the “The Hijra of The Prophet” award to the most influential international Islamic figure in the world in recognition of his efforts in highlighting the true image of Islam and its noble principles and values, in addition to his influential contributions in promoting harmony between followers of religions and cultures and his role in spreading world peace.

Great roles played by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa towards Islam and reflecting its true image to the peoples of the world, in a manner that expresses the feelings of the Islamic peoples in the world and their hopes to reach their higher goals, as he is one of the most prominent and active advocates of Islam in the service of the Islamic world, from the crescent of his growing interest in major Islamic issues and work to solve the problems of Muslims and achieve their interests and good hopes.