King Abdullah Economic City/ Area of Makkah Al-Mukarramah: 09/05/2019

In his address after appointing him ISESCO Director General, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik reaffirms his full commitment to ISESCO’s objectives and pledges to develop and expand the scope if its outreach

Today, at the first plenary session of ISESCO General Conference, in its third extraordinary session, held today in King Abdullah Economic City in the region of Makkah, Dr. Salem bin Mohammed AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), made an address.

At the start of his address Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and to His Royal Highness Crown Prince for the invaluable royal confidence they placed in him by nominating him to the post of Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to succeed Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri. He also extended his heartfelt thanks to His Majesty King Mohamed VI, for his continuous care of ISESCO and for the facilitations the government of the Kingdom of Morocco grants to the Organization to enable it to carry out its missions in the best possible conditions, beseeching Allah Almighty to have mercy on late King Hassan II, who hosted the Organization and was keen to establish it on firm and sold foundations, and on late Abdelahdi Boutaleb, the first Director General of this Organization.

“Since its inception, ISESCO has endeavoured to achieve its objectives and goals related to education, science and culture. Allah willing we will continue the march taking into consideration the aspects of social changes undergone by ISESCO Member States.” Dr. AlMalik said.

He stated that the march of construction is essentially based on cooperation and joint action between Member States through and with the Organization, adding that ISESCO should be a house of expertise incubating Islamic thought and culture, formulate cultural visions, develop educational strategies and explore the future.

“Indeed, we live in a world of artificial intelligence, big data, modern technologies and horizons of virtual schools. ISESCO should deal with these changes and seek that ISESCO Member States benefit from these services through training, upgrading, research, innovation and invention.” He said.

ISESCO Director General further stated that it is very essential today to build strategic partnerships with international and regional parallel organizations, most importantly with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) of which ISESCO is a specialized body, and with the private sector and civil society institutions in Member States, especially those which have experience and excellence in cooperation and action with international organizations.

Dr. AlMalik stated that among the projects he will seek to implement is a “waqf project” (Investment Fund), with established rules and regulations, that shall be raised from the donations of governments, kings, presidents, charities, business people and banks, saying that the proceeds of this Fund will be earmarked for some projects created at ISESCO and for special programmes concerned with youth issues and building societies.

In addition, he stressed that ISESCO will intensively endeavour to promote its role to protect the Islamic and Christian sanctities in Al-Qudsa Al-Sharif against continued attempts of Judaization and obliteration, and set up practical mechanisms for the preservation of Member States’ tangible and intangible heritage.

He added that ISESCO will play a leading role in cooperation between Member States to promote the Islamic identity; strengthen the Islamic culture; entrench the values of coexistence; counter extremism, violence and sectarianism; and maintained that it should raise intellectual awareness about the human and social issues affecting the development of communities and the building of their capacities.

At the close of his address, Dr. AlMalik called for the elimination of poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, extremism, and zealotry through sowing the seeds of science and intellectual culture; promoting the Islamic identity and rejecting fanaticism, extremism and sectarianism; affirming that ISESCO cannot carry out its functions and implement its visions and its expectations unless it benefits from the support of Member States at the scientific, intellectual, cultural and communication levels.