Category: Front Page

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is participating with a dedicated pavilion in the 31st edition of the International Book and Publishing Fair (SIEL), organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat, under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him. The Fair was inaugurated on Thursday, 30 April 2026, by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan.

Running until 10 May, this edition features broad international cultural participation, with 61 countries and 891 exhibitors, France as guest of honor, and a celebration of the traveller Ibn Battuta, coinciding with the designation of Rabat as World Book Capital for 2026.

ICESCO’s pavilion will serve as an open space for cultural dialogue and intellectual exchange through the organization of more than 57 activities and events in Arabic, French and English throughout the Fair. These activities include intellectual seminars, literary encounters and poetry readings, with the participation of a distinguished group of intellectuals, thinkers and writers from the Organization’s Member States and beyond.

The pavilion also hosts a diverse exhibition of ICESCO publications, including books and studies in the fields of education, science, culture, media and the humanities, in addition to informational materials highlighting its flagship programmes and initiatives.

The pavilion has been equipped with modern display screens broadcasting audiovisual content that documents ICESCO’s activities and showcases its areas of work and projects in support of intellectual and cultural development in the Islamic world.

The pavilion will witness broad participation by ICESCO staff, including heads of sectors, divisions and specialized centres, alongside a number of academics and supervisors of ICESCO chairs, who will enrich the pavilion’s through specialized presentations and meetings reflecting the diversity of the Organization’s fields of action.

ICESCO will accompany its participation with media coverage through its official platforms, reinforcing its cultural presence and making its pavilion a prominent destination within the Fair’s activities and a showcase for its mission to support knowledge, dialogue and cultural exchange.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held the Second International Conference entitled “Modern Approaches and Smart Applications in Teaching Arabic Grammar and Morphology to Non-Arabic Speakers”, in cooperation with Bursa Uludağ University (Türkiye), its Faculty of Theology, and the Faculty of Theology Foundation, from April 28 to 30, 2026, in the city of Bursa, Republic of Türkiye, with the participation of 68 researchers from 21 countries.

The conference aimed to explore ways to develop the teaching of grammar and to review modern experiences in enabling learners to build their linguistic competencies on solid scientific and applied foundations. Its sessions addressed several themes, including challenges in teaching Arabic grammar and morphology; modern strategies in grammar instruction, from rote learning to empowerment; and artificial intelligence and contemporary applications in grammar teaching.

The opening session featured remarks by Dr. Ferudun Yılmaz, Rector of Bursa Uludağ University; Dr. Nasseria Al-Araja, Deputy Permanent Representative of the League of Arab States to the United Nations in New York; and Dr. Adem Apak, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Bursa Uludağ University. They commended the scientific and academic cooperation with ICESCO in organizing the conference to support the Arabic language in Türkiye and to promote specialized research in this field.

In his address, Dr. Magdi Haji Ibrahim, Head of the ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, emphasized that facilitating the teaching of Arabic grammar requires a well-balanced approach between theoretical foundations and practical application. This, he noted, can be achieved through a logical progression from simple sentences to contextualized textual examples rooted in real-life situations, moving away from rote memorization and rules detached from lived linguistic reality.

Dr. Anas Hossam Al-Nuaimi, Head of the International Leadership Support Section for the Arabic Language at the Center, chaired the second session of the conference, which focused on curricula for teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, methods of presenting and teaching grammar and morphology, and ways to further develop these materials.

On the sidelines of the conference, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Center and Bursa Uludağ University to implement a set of activities, programs, and research projects related to teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers.

The Center for Calligraphy and Manuscripts at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held, on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, the first session of its regular lecture series on calligraphy and manuscripts. The inaugural lecture, titled “Cookery Manuscripts in Islamic Civilization,” was delivered by Dr. Khaled Azab, Expert in Islamic heritage and urbanism.

The lecture, held both in person and via videoconference, opened with a keynote address by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy ICESCO Director-General. He highlighted the richness and authenticity of culinary heritage in Islamic civilization, stressing the need to bring this great heritage, in which earlier generations excelled, into contemporary culture. He further underscored the importance of producing critical editions that do not merely convey ancient texts to modern readers, but rather examine their sources, study them, and trace the evolution of their content across subsequent texts.

In his lecture, Dr. Khaled Azab then addressed the dialectic between text and content in the culinary heritage of Islamic civilization, and the necessity to integrate the study of the text and its various contexts with archaeology, which contributes to reconstructing the past as it was in order to better understand and interpret it.

He further noted that culinary heritage is the product of a comprehensive process that begins with agriculture, followed by the transportation of agricultural goods, the manufacture of cooking and dining utensils, the act of cooking itself, and finally the methods of presentation and the etiquette of consumption. Accordingly, he stressed the importance of developing an Arab theory of food grounded in the perspective of the science of urbanism within Islamic civilization.

At the conclusion of the lecture, Dr. Azab presented a curated list of both specialized and general cookery manuscripts, along with the miniatures, tools, and illustrated materials associated with them.

The lecture attracted a distinguished audience both in the hall and online. The lecturer engaged in an open discussion with experts and participants, responding to their questions on the topic of the lecture.

The celebration organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Muslim World League and the Mohammedia League of Scholars of the Kingdom of Morocco, on Sunday, 26 April 2026, marking the milestone of 10 million visitors to the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, received extensive media coverage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reflecting the symbolic and cultural significance of the event.

This coverage highlighted the level of attention devoted by leading Saudi media institutions, both print and digital, to this achievement, underscoring the civilizational and cultural dimensions of the celebration and the status of the fair and museum as one of the landmark initiatives dedicated to serving the Prophet’s biography and promoting its noble human values.

In this context, the prominent Al-Jazirah newspaper published a report on its website titled “10 Million Visitors on a Spiritual Journey Through Time: A Record for the Prophet’s Biography Fair at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat,” and carried a second article in its print edition titled “Dr. Al-Issa Attends the Celebration Marking 10 Million Visitors to the Prophet’s Biography Museum Branch in Rabat,” reflecting the newspaper’s particular interest in the event.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) also published a report titled “Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Participates in the Celebration Marking 10 Million Visitors to the Prophet’s Biography Museum Branch in Rabat,” while Okaz newspaper covered the occasion with a news item titled “Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Attends the Celebration Marking 10 Million Visitors to the Prophet’s Biography Museum Branch in Rabat.” Al-Madina newspaper likewise devoted coverage to the celebration, in addition to a second article titled “Al-Issa Participates in the Celebration Marking 10 Million Visitors to the Prophet’s Biography Museum Branch in Rabat.”

Saudi media attention was not limited to these outlets, as the Sabq electronic newspaper also published an article titled “Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Attends the Celebration Marking 10 Million Visitors to the Prophet’s Biography Museum Branch in Rabat.”

This extensive coverage reflects the growing presence of the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization in the Arab media landscape and confirms its success in consolidating its position as a prominent civilizational and knowledge platform.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, will hold an international symposium titled “The Role of Publishing Industry in Promoting Societal Awareness and Intellectual Security” on 27–28 April 2026, with the participation of a select group of officials, experts, and researchers from within and beyond the Islamic world.

The symposium aims to raise awareness of the growing roles of the publishing industry in addressing contemporary intellectual and cultural challenges and in strengthening intellectual and societal security, through the development of responsible content that helps consolidate the values of tolerance and openness, counter hate speech and extremism, and combat misinformation in both traditional and digital spaces.

The opening session will feature addresses by ministers and senior officials highlighting the importance of integration among cultural, academic, and security institutions. The programme will also include six sessions on “Publishing and Intellectual Security,” “Publishing and Disinformation,” “Digital Publishing and Information Security,” “Institutional Publishing in the Context of Security,” “The Role of Security Services in Combating Disinformation and Fake News,” and “The Role of Libraries in Cognitive Security.”

The sessions will be followed by a specialized training workshop on “Publishing and Intellectual Security: From Content Protection to Building Societal Awareness,” aiming to develop practical skills in content management.

Those wishing to attend the symposium and the training workshop may register by scanning the QR codes below for each activity:

• QR code for the symposium:
• QR code for the workshop:

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the scientific seminar titled “Morocco in the Era of Digital Platforms and Prospects for Smart Government,” organized by the Faculty of Juridical, Economic and Social Sciences, Souissi, in Rabat, on Friday, 24 April 2026. The seminar brought together a select group of international experts and specialists to anticipate Morocco’s digital transformation pathway and explore prospects for building a smart government capable of keeping pace with rapid change.

ICESCO was represented by Dr. Sally Mabrouk, Head of the Director-General’s Office and Supervisor of the Strategy and Institutional Excellence Sector, who delivered a presentation illustrating how the acceleration of digital transformation has made it common to measure progress by the number of digital platforms and the speed of service delivery. However, international experience has shown that these indicators alone are insufficient to assess the success of digital transformation.

Dr. Mabrouk explained that governments today possess unprecedented volumes of data, along with advanced analytical capabilities and large-scale digital systems, yet many digital transformation projects fail to achieve their intended impact. She attributed this to deeper shortcomings related to decision-making frameworks.

In this respect, Dr. Mabrouk proposed adopting a smart government model founded on an integrated decision cycle, beginning with data monitoring and intelligent analysis, followed by risk assessment and human review, then decision-making and digital implementation, and culminating in impact measurement and lessons learned. She noted that this model ensures technology is directed to serve public decision-making, rather than becoming an end in itself or a substitute for sound institutional vision.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters in the State of Kuwait discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in media and cultural fields.

This came during a meeting held on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, in the Kuwaiti capital, bringing together Dr. Barakat Al Wegyan, Head of the Communication Division at ICESCO’s Media and Communication Sector, and Dr. Mohammad Khaled Al-Jassar, Secretary-General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the organization of training programs, workshops, and joint seminars that would contribute to the development of competencies, in addition to strengthening media and cultural exchange and reinforcing the role of media in accompanying cultural initiatives and highlighting their impact.

The meeting was attended, from the Council, by Mr. Mosaed Mohammed Al-Zamel, Assistant Secretary-General for the Arts Sector; Mr. Mohammed Bin Redha, Assistant Secretary-General for the Antiquities and Museums Sector; and Ms. Zahra Ali Baba, Head of the Division of Conservation and Restoration and of Historic Buildings.

The International Congress on Parasport Sciences concluded at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat. Held on 21 and 22 April 2026 under the theme “From Promotion to the Pursuit of Performance in Parasport,” the conference was organized under the supervision of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, with the participation of researchers, coaches, sports physicians, and decision-makers. The event aimed to discuss a range of issues related to Parasport performance, technological innovation, governance, and inclusion in the sports sector.

During the opening session, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, reviewed, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, the Organization’s key initiatives to turn sport into a driver of development and inclusion. He emphasized that the conference is part of ICESCO’s efforts to encourage Member States to leverage science in shaping public policies on sound scientific foundations.

For his part, Mr. Hamid El Aouni, President of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, stated that the conference constitutes a call to dismantle stereotypes and to reconstruct perceptions of disability and Parasport. Dr. Driss Daoui, Director of the Institute of Sports Professions in Morocco, considered that the meeting opens spaces for constructive dialogue among the various stakeholders.

Subsequently, Dr. Abderrazak El Akkari, Director of Sports at the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, called for the development of scientific research in the service of Parasport, describing it as an embodiment of human dignity and a means of empowerment and liberation.

In her intervention during the conference, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector at ICESCO, stressed the importance of linking scientific research with community initiatives and public policies in a manner that enhances inclusion, human dignity, and social progress, particularly in the field of Parasport.

The congress also featured specialized scientific workshops led by experts and academics of various nationalities, addressing ways to enhance Parasport performance and to employ modern technology to consolidate the role of Parasport as a driver of human and social development.