Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic
World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) appointed Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa as
Deputy DG of ICESCO.
Since joining the Organization in 2003, Dr. Benarafa has
held several positions, the last of which was the Cultural Advisor to the DG
before his appointment as Deputy DG of ICESCO.
Dr. Benarafa obtained the General University Diploma in
literary studies from Mohammed V University in Rabat, the B.A. degree in
linguistics from the University of Paul-Valéry Montpellier, France, and the Advanced
Diploma in general linguistics as well as the PhD degree in semantics from
Sorbonne University, Paris.
Dr. Benarafa has many intellectual and literary works and academic reviews. He published a set of books, novels and studies, including: a study on concepts formation in French, and reviews of “a’Shihab Maw’ida li Uli al-Albab” by Abu Ahmad Jaafar bin Sayedbona, “Limada Nafrah Bil-Mustafa,” “Biography of Abu al-Hassan a-Shashtarihis Biography, works and doctrine.” His novels include “Jabal Qaf,” “al-Junaid: Pain of Knowledge,” “Khnatha” and “Idris.”
Dr. Benarafa enjoys extensive relationships in the
Islamic world.
The Islamic World Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) won the “3G Leadership Award for Public Sector
and Multilateral Institutions” for 2021, from Cambridge-IFA in the United
Kingdom (UK), in recognition of the Organization’s initiatives that attach great
importance to the values of social responsibility and good governance.
ICESCO received this Award at the 6th session
of 3G Awards, held today, May 25, 2021, through videoconference, during which
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), gave an address wherein he highlighted
the Organization’s efforts to support quality education, promote culture, preserve
heritage, and contribute to the development of science and innovation.
Dr. AlMalik indicated that ICESCO is committed to
spread the values of tolerance and coexistence and contribute to building a
bright future for mankind by launching initiatives and implementing programs
and activities to achieve sustainable development and meet the needs and
priorities of the Organization’s various Member States.
ICESCO DG thanked Cambridge-IFA for its support of the
Organization’s efforts through the 3G Leadership Award for Public Sector and
Multilateral Institutions for 2021.
The ceremony also featured a video on ICESCO’s history,
objectives and key initiatives and programs in the fields of education,
science, culture, and communication.
Cambridge-IFA, a non-profit organization based in the UK,
grants 3G Awards every year, which include many categories, to promote the
values of social responsibility and good governance among individuals and
public and private institutions and rewards the organizations and institutions that
prioritize these values.
In addition to ICESCO, the Republic of Indonesia won
the Governance and Policy Award while the United Overseas Bank from Singapore
won the Excellence in Corporate Governance Award. The Friends of Cancer
Patients Association also won in one of the Award’s categories.
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League: The Charter Unified Muslim Scholars
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League: The Charter Unified Muslim Scholars
The Islamic World
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held on Friday, May
21, 2020, at its headquarters, in Rabat, a scientific symposium in partnership
with the Muslim World League (MWL) under the theme: ”Makkah Charter:
Achievements and Perspectives.” The event, during which Dr. Mohammad Bin
Abdulkarim Al-Issa delivered the main lecture, enjoyed high-level participation
and witnessed rich discussions with the aim to achieve the goals of the
Charter, which scholars and intellectuals coming from 27 Muslim sects and
schools of thought approved.
The symposium
began with the recitation of some verses from the Holy Quran, followed by an
address Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO
Director-General (DG), delivered during which he welcomed Dr. Al-Issa and his
delegation. Dr. AlMalik stressed that the symposium is an opportunity to
exchange views and explore ideas on the Makkah Charter hoping that the efforts
of Arab and Muslim countries will put an end to the sufferings of the
Palestinians and help restore Al-Quds Al-Sharif and Al-Aqsa Mosque, after
having reached a truce in the occupied territories.
Dr. Abdelilah
Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO DG, highlighted in his introduction the
urgent need for issuing the Makkah Charter from the Qibla that unifies all
Muslims to disseminate enlightened Islamic thought and respect all religions.
During the
symposium’s main lecture, Dr. Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa explained the
achievements and perspectives of the Charter that was able to unify Muslim
Scholars. He noted that Muslim intellectuals were well aware of their
scientific and intellectual duty to issue the Charter which was signed by more
than 1200 Muslim Muftis and Scholars representing various Muslim sects and
schools of thought. More than 4500 Muslim intellectuals attended the conference
which issued it.
MWL
Secretary-General stressed that the Charter tackled several key contemporary
issues, raised awareness and transmitted enlightened Islamic thought,
especially to the youth of the Muslim world. The document was based on the
Madina Charter that the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) signed, which calls for the
respect of religious and civil rights. The Makkah Charter is considered an
extension of that historical document.
Dr. Al-Issa added
that Makkah Charter reinforces the need for religious, cultural and
civilizational dialogue for coexistence, mutual understanding, development and
fighting corruption.
The
Secretary-General also praised the roles that ICESCO plays, hoping that the
Organization will carry on its mission of publicizing the Makkah Charter, which
was approved by Muslim World Countries during the Meeting of Foreign Ministers.
Following the main lecture, the participants expressed their views during
which Dr. Ahmed Sennouni, Secretary-General of the Mohammedia
League of Scholars, reaffirmed that the Makkah Charter should be a source of
inspiration, both at the personal and collective level, for it is regarded as a
humanist document considering its goals and functions.
Dr. Khalid Samadi,
Director of the Moroccan Center for Studies and Educational Research, noted
that the Charter corrected some misconceptions, enshrined various values, and
developed skills to overcome differences.
Dr. Mahjoub
Bensaid, a researcher in the fields of communication sciences and cultural
dialogue, presented many proposals to strengthen the universal character of the
Charter. Dr. Mustapha Zabbakh, Rapporteur of the Academy of the Moroccan
Kingdom, then praised the document’s aim to free the Muslim mentality from
misconceptions to build a renewed understanding of Islam.
The symposium’s
recordings are available on ICESCO Facebook at:
The headquarters of the
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in
Rabat saw the inauguration of the ICESCO Gallery for Contemporary Art. The
first exhibition in the Gallery was dubbed “Painting of Hope” and was organized
in partnership with the Arab Group of the Charitable Diplomatic Circle in
Morocco and in cooperation with the Karmadi Workshop, as part of the
Organization’s celebration of the Islamic World Heritage Month, under the
theme, “United for Arts and Heritage.”
The Exhibition was
inaugurated Thursday, 20 May 2021, with the special participation of Ms. Jamila
El-Moussali, Minister of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and Family in
Morocco; Dr. Driss Ouaouicha: Minister Delegate in Charge of Higher Education;
Ms. Nezha Ouafi, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African
Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates in Charge of Moroccan Expatriates; Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO
Director-General; leaderships at the Diplomatic Club in Rabat, and a host of
officials and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Rabat.
In his address at the
ceremony, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that ICESCO Gallery for Contemporary Art
strives to become a special destination for sponsoring arts and creativity in
Member States and keeping up with the different artistic and creative trends.
He added that through this Gallery, the Organization aims to send a
civilizational message about supporting arts and creative people and setting up
workshops for contemporary arts and creations including calligraphy,
sculptures, miniatures, photography, etc.
In the same vein, ICESCO
Director-General stated that this Gallery will be an opportunity to receive
creations highlighting aspects of beauty in the Islamic civilization through
sponsoring creators and nurturing blooming creative and artistic faculties to
evolve into creative and aesthetic talents.
For her part, Ms. Nidaa
Ezzat Sabry, President of the Arab Group of the Charitable Diplomatic Circle
Morocco, reaffirmed that the Gallery reflects civilizational intermix and
cultural diversity, two permanent sources of inspiration for artists. She
announced that proceeds from the Exhibition will be donated to Ibn Sina
Hospital in Rabat for the treatment of children with cancer.
Following the
inauguration, visitors toured the exhibitions which featured more than 130
paintings made by 28 Moroccan artists in addition to a host of Arab artists.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim
Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the
International Body of Muslim Scholars, who visited ICESCO Headquarters, in
Rabat, on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
The visit started with bilateral talks,
during which the two parties explored the prospects of a partnership between
ICESCO and MWL, and the potential cooperation programs in the next phase. The
meeting also discussed the organizational arrangements of the Scientific
Symposium on “Makkah Charter: Achievements and Perspectives,” due to be held on
Friday, May 21, 2021, during which Dr. Al-Issa will deliver the main lecture,
as well as the arrangements of the International Conference on Civilizational Values
in the Prophet’s Seerah, due to be held on May 27, 2021.
Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Al-Issa met afterward
with the heads of sectors, departments and centers at ICESCO, together with the
MWL delegation.
At the outset of the meeting, Dr. Al-Malik stressed
the constructive cooperation and highlighted the common denominators between
ICESCO and MWL as they both played key roles in supporting countries of the
Islamic World during the COVID-19 pandemic and made many achievements.
For his part, Dr. Al-Issa expressed his
happiness to visit ICESCO to continue the civilizational project between the Organization
and the League, which represents their common values and aims to publicize the
truth of Islam worldwide in its civilized dimension by ensuring interaction and
correcting misconceptions.
In the same vein, the directors at ICESCO
reviewed the most prominent axes of the Organization’s new vision as per each
sector and department, and the programs and projects that ICESCO implements, in
cooperation with the competent authorities in the Member States. They also
suggested some practical proposals to develop a partnership between ICESCO and
the MWL in the upcoming period.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that
the Organization devotes great attention to the issues of cultural diversity
and civilizational dialogue as part of its new vision and strategic plan. The Organization
has implemented several initiatives that aim to promote the values of
coexistence among different cultures and enshrine the culture of dialogue.
The statement was part of Dr. AlMalik’s address
at the opening of an event that the Qatari Forum for Authors held, on Wednesday,
May 19, 2021, via videoconference, under the theme “Writing as
a cultural ambassador for the promotion of cultural diversity,” on the World
Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
The event is part of the Celebration of Doha as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2021, which saw
the participation of Mr. Salah Bin Ghanem Al Ali, Qatari Minister of Culture
and Sports; Dr. Hamada Hasan Al-Sulaiti, Secretary-General of Qatar
National Commission for Education, Culture and Science; and several professors
and experts in the field.
At the outset of his address, Dr. AlMalik reiterated
ICESCO’s solidarity with the Palestinian people and its support to Palestinian institutions
operating in the educational, cultural, and social fields, in light of the
ongoing violations committed against Palestinians for the last 73 years.
Dr. AlMalik stated that the theme of the event
is in line with the goals of the celebration of Doha as the Capital of Islamic
Culture for 2021 within the framework of ICESCO’s Programme of the Capitals of Islamic
Culture and its Declaration on Cultural Diversity.
ICESCO DG reviewed
the most prominent initiatives and projects that the Organization implemented to
promote cultural diversity, such as the establishment of ICESCO Center for
Dialogue and Cultural Diversity and the Islamic World Heritage Center. The
organization is also committed, amid the COVID-19 crisis, to guaranteeing the
right to culture for all and provide appropriate mechanisms to protect
multiculturalism through the launching of new initiatives such as “ICESCO
Digital Home” and “Distance Culture Initiative,” which have provided great
opportunities to encourage all forms of cultural and artistic expression.
At the close of his address, Dr. AlMalik
called upon all international organizations, government bodies, and
organizations working in the fields of culture and Arts to further coordinate
to agree on a global artistic and creative system focusing on the role of art,
literature, and creativity in human development, spreading peace and preserving
cultural diversity.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) called for
comprehensive development of the Islamic world education systems. He stated
that this development must address students’ and teachers’ mental health, keep
up with technological advancements and employ artificial intelligence.
Dr. AlMalik made the statement during his participation in the
World Humanitarian Forum, which kicked off Wednesday, May 19, 2021, via
videoconference. The DG was the Keynote Speaker at the session titled “Re-Imagining
Education in Global Reset Dialogue”, which was moderated by Ms. Vivian Lopez,
Executive Coordinator of the UNICEF Every Woman Every Child Movement, and saw
the participation of a host of officials representing several organizations and
institutions active in the field of education.
The DG stated that school closure in more than 120 countries as a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted more than one billion learners around
the world, contributed to the increase in illiteracy rates, and exacerbated the
economic vulnerability of their families. Dr. Almalik maintained that ICESCO
launched several initiatives and implemented practical programs in cooperation
with the competent parties in its Member States to ensure the continuity of
schooling in these countries.
The DG noted that as part of its proclamation of 2021 at the Year
of Women, ICESCO launched several programs highlighting women’s contributions
during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they were at the frontlines of the fight
against the pandemic, especially in the fields of health and education.
ICESCO DG noted that the Organization, in cooperation with several
universities, has set up academic Chairs to promote educational capacities, stating
that ICESCO is planning to add 30 chairs in the next five years to promote the
role of scientific research in finding innovative solutions to problems facing
humanity.
“Though its “The Societies We Want” Initiative, ICESCO joins the
global dialogue to support social projects to develop human capital and promote
the values of coexistence and dialogue,” Dr. AlMalik stated.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ICESCO) and Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain held a meeting to
explore prospects of cooperation in the fields of scientific research, technology,
and innovation.
Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Adviser at the Sector of Science and Technology,
and Dr. Foued El-Ayni, Expert at the Sector, represented ICESCO in the meeting,
held via videoconference Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Mr. John Style, Vice President
for Internationalization; Prof. Josep Ribalta Vives, Vice-Rector for
Postgraduate and Doctoral Training School; Marina Casals Sala, Director of
International Relations; and Dr. Carmen Claver, Professor at the University,
all represented the University.
During the meeting, the two parties discussed cooperation to grant
scholarships to students from the Islamic world, hold joint workshops and
conferences in the modern fields of science and technology, and exchange
expertise in the area of scientific research.
ICESCO representatives also extended the invitation to the University
officials to take part in the International Symposium on Space Technology that
the Organization will hold in cooperation with the American Space Foundation.
The Symposium is expected to see high-caliber participation including space
agencies, astronauts and specialists in space science and technology.
At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to coordinate to
build fruitful cooperation between ICESCO and the University.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) will host at its headquarters, in Rabat, on Friday (May 21, 2021), Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), Chairman of the International Body of Muslim Scholars, to deliver the main lecture in the Scientific Symposium that ICESCO organizes in partnership with MWL, under the theme: “Makkah Charter: Achievements and Perspectives.” The symposium will start at 10:30 a.m. (Rabat time), face-to-face and on Zoom platform. The participants will first listen to the recitation of some verses from the Holy Quran. Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), will then deliver a welcome address.
Dr. Al-Issa will deliver a lecture on the achievements and prospects of the Makkah Charter that 1200 senior Muslim Muftis and Scholars issued, on the sidelines of MWL’s International Conference on “The Values of Moderation and Middle Stance,” in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, in Ramadan 1440 A.H. The Declaration is considered as a contemporary framework of reference with its 27 items that restore the role of the Islamic civilization in honoring mankind and consolidating the values of coexistence for the benefit of humanity.
The symposium will also feature a video that ICESCO produced on Makkah Charter, as well as a discussion and exchange of ideas among participants.
The
symposium will be broadcast live on the official Facebook page of ICESCO
through the link below:
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ICESCO) and the Space Foundation, Monday, May 10, 2021, held a working session
to explore areas of cooperation and agree upon the key axes of the partnership
agreement the two parties will sign in the upcoming period.
ICESCO Director-General (DG), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and the Space
Foundation Chief Operation Officer, Shelli Brunswick, chaired the working
session, held via videoconference, with the participation of several ICESCO
heads of sectors and departments as well as several executive directors at the
Space Foundation attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the Space Foundation team presented the major
initiatives and programs the Foundation launched and implemented, particularly regarding
the use of space technology in developing the fields of agriculture,
environment protection, entrepreneurship, education and communication, data
analysis, health, and energy. The team also addressed the challenges facing the
use of space technology and the opportunities of this advanced technology.
The team reaffirmed the Space Foundation’s keenness to build a partnership
with various institutions, bodies, and governments to achieve mutual goals.
For his part, ICESCO DG underlined the importance of cooperation between
the Organization and the Space Foundation in ICESCO’s areas of competence. He
explained that such cooperation will be based on practical and goal-oriented
programs with measurable results, such as girl integration in science and space
technology education, stating that space is the future.
Several ICESCO heads of sectors put forth several ideas pertaining to
cooperation in organizing several joint seminars and workshops and inquired
about the details of some areas of cooperation, which the Foundation team
answered.
