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Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, received yesterday, at the headquarters of the Organization in Rabat, Mr. Guillaume Schörer, Ambassador of Switzerland to Morocco. The officials examined the means of developing cooperation between the two parties in the fields of education, science, and culture.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s new vision and strategy that adopt an inclusive approach at the service of Member States’ citizens and Muslim communities around the world. He noted that the Organization developed a new Charter for the Observer States, which allows them to participate in all ICESCO’s meetings, activities, and programs. Dr. AlMalik then invited Switzerland to join the Organization as an observer.

The DG stated that COVID-19 demonstrated the pressing need for world cooperation and solidarity, resulting in ICESCO’s increased openness to international organizations and bodies, and established partnerships with a set of donors. The goal is to support multiple countries to face the negative repercussions of this pandemic and contribute to the continuity of the distance education process.

ICESCO also provided humanitarian aid, equipment, and prevention material against the new coronavirus. The Organization granted financial and technical support in setting up best-cost disinfectant production units in several countries, in addition to training the workforce in these countries to manufacture the products.
The DG also referred to ICESCO’s main initiatives during the pandemic, the major international virtual conferences, and online forums, which witnessed high-level participation.

The organization also created centers specialized in strategic foresight, artificial intelligence, Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers, dialogue, and cultural diversity and heritage. The aim is to explore the future of the countries of the Islamic world and the changes to come, on scientific bases and in-depth studies, as well as to consolidate the spirit of peaceful coexistence and preserve the cultural heritage of these countries.

The Ambassador of Switzerland appreciated ICESCO’s distinguished work in the fields of education, science, and culture. He underlined his country’s willingness to cooperate with the Organization in the three fields, and that he would contact authorities in Switzerland to study the country’s membership to ICESCO as an observer

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called on Muslim countries to seek the renewal, enlightenment, and the values to restore the glories of the Ummah. He proposed critical thinking, action, peace, and tolerance as well as a strong contribution to progress and development as a means of achieving the glory. He also called for rejecting all forms of violence, extremism, and intellectual stagnation, which he asserted to have no connection with Islam and the message of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The statement was part of the DG’s address at the opening session of the International Virtual Conference on “Tolerance and Foresight of Muhammad Iqbal.” ICESCO held the event yesterday, November 9, to pay tribute to the late Dr. Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), who is one of the prominent and high-level philosophers, poets, and literary figures in Islamic history.

 The conference was part of ICESCO’s activities to publicize the efforts of prominent scientists and intellectuals. The Organization also aimed to capitalize on the figures’ achievements and values to promote scientific and cultural scenes and build a brighter and more prosperous future for the Islamic world.

Dr. AlMalik made it clear that the challenges facing the Islamic world require an intellectual renaissance, such as the one that Muhammad Iqbal launched through his ideas and perceptions that still apply to our modern times.

“We should join our efforts to reject the negative phenomena in our Islamic societies to lead the change and fight against intellectual stagnation and fanaticism through tolerance and embrace of the future and self-development,” added Dr. Al-Malik.

The DG also stated that “Iqbal considered renewal to be a spiritual mission based on the renewal of soul, thought, and ethics. Through his love for Islam and the Muslim Ummah around the globe, Dr. Iqbal strived to enlighten minds and hearts to develop the Islamic world after its collapse in the colonial era.”

“Iqbal has become a model for the Muslim who is proud of his religion, values, and morals. He left us a great intellectual heritage which has an impact inside and outside the Islamic world,” continued the DG.

Dr. AlMalik stated that Dr. Iqbal had a strong belief in the important impact of religion on human souls as a stimulus for individuals and groups to build a more prosperous future.

“His philosophy earned him a position among the intellectuals who were ahead of their times. He based his anticipatory theory in reform, renewal, and the relationship between Islam and time on two foundations: thorough intellectual criticism of the world as a whole and the Islamic world in particular, and construction through Muslims’ self-awareness and their perception of the surrounding environment and the content of the noble message of Islam,” underscored Dr. AlMalik.

Dr. AlMalik stressed that the forum is just the beginning of other activities to shed light on the great intellectuals in Islamic history and benefit from their innovations and perspectives. The goal of the initiative is to promote societies, build the future, and revitalize and disseminate the peaceful messages of Islam as a religion of tolerance and its noble ethical values.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, met with Ms. Fatimata Sow Sidibé, Head of the World Food Program (WFP) Office in Tunisia and Morocco. The two officials discussed cooperation prospects in the areas of women’s empowerment and education, namely school canteens.

During the meeting, held at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik congratulated Ms. Sidibé following the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates’ acceptance of the head of WFP’s credentials. The DG also expressed ICESCO’s willingness to enter partnerships with the WFP aiming to implement field activities with a tangible impact on the education sector in Tunisia and Morocco and the rest of ICESCO Member States at later stages.

Mrs. Sidibé praised ICESCO’s distinguished action in the fields of women’s empowerment and education, underscoring the need for a fruitful partnership between the Organization and the WFP Office in Tunisia and Morocco.

ICESCO held yesterday, at its headquarters, an academic conference entitled: “Continuous reflections on the jurisprudence of reality.” Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary-General of the Rabita Mohammadia of the Ulemas of Morocco, gave the lecture, while Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, moderated it.

The conference took place in the application of the cooperation agreement signed between the two parties on March 2, 2020, relating to dialogue between civilizations and cultures, the fight against extremism, escalation and hatred, and the dissemination of the true image of Islam through a set of executive programs and academic projects.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), confirmed during his intervention that the Organization had started to develop the first guide for university teaching and research institutions, on the decomposition of the discourse of extremism, and is currently developing the world’s first psychological encyclopedia. He indicated the need for wise people to cooperate in building peace, fighting extremism and terrorism, and removing any confusion between the message of religions and the actions of criminals.

The DG added that the reality should be understood in light of the new changes. Among the problems of the jurisprudence (fiqh) of reality is the persistence in insulting the person of the Noble Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) and justifying it as freedom of expression. He cited the insulting drawings of the Prophet (pbuh), which caused the heinous murder of a teacher who had insisted that these drawings be part of the lessons taught in class.

Dr. Abbadi explained that we live in an accelerated world, in which information is now at the press of a button, wandering on the implications and meanings of the virtual world power. He explained the impact on teenagers and young people, who became loyal to an increasing number of influencers.

Dr. Abbadi stressed that “composition” is an important feature of Islamic law (Sharia), and not just a flat object (the permissible and the forbidden), referring to the contribution of Muslim scholars therein, such as Al-Shatibi, Ibn Al-Qayyim, and Ibn Khaldun. He added that the happiness of mankind in both worlds is the ultimate goal of religion.

Dr. Abbadi also mentioned that extremism spread when a group of individuals claimed that they could spread justice on earth after filling it with injustice. He continued that the group established the State of the Caliphate in the Middle East, the hub of the world and its cultural center. He added that the group representing the civilization must compensate for the acute shortage of academic platforms that deal with reality, and organize the paths and components of all dimensions, including intellectual, political, and research components. Dr. Abbadi pointed out the need to demonstrate the major goals that express the essence of religion to achieve the happiness of society.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) signed yesterday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the education sector and improve education systems in the ICESCO Member States in the Islamic World. The MoU also aims to develop a vision for improving education and socioeconomic conditions using education as a tool to achieve sustainable development.

After the signing in a virtual ceremony, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of ICESCO, commended the great role the OECD played in improving the quality of education, implementing development policies to improve the lives of citizens, enhancing the socioeconomic status of communities, and contributing to world trade.

The DG called on the ICESCO Member States to join the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment and to improve education systems affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He stressed that ICESCO, through its programs and initiatives, promotes cooperation between the Member States in the fields of education, science, culture, and tourism. He added that the signing of the memorandum aims to increase the quality and results of education in the said States and help them assess the levels of students and teachers, and identify the difficulties they face and deal with them.

Mr. Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, underlined the importance of education in achieving socio-economic development, noting that the memorandum will improve the exchange of knowledge at the international level and will solve common problems. He added that the OECD will support the ICESCO Member States to improve the methods of collecting and using national education data.

The memorandum aims to define the conditions for cooperation between the two parties to achieve common goals in the field of education. The goal is to develop systems as a means of achieving sustainable socio-economic development, improve the exchange of knowledge, and elaborate mechanisms and statistics for research and analysis to guide developing better policies.

The two parties agreed also to carry out the joint activities on the agenda of the Activities Plan for 2021-2022.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for accelerating the reform of the cultural sector and the promotion of the world cultural economy. He proposed an action plan centered on four axes. He also noted that cultural industries, a sector representing 3% of GDP and employing 30 million people worldwide, is one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement came in the DG’s address at the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting, held yesterday, in a videoconference, under the theme: “The rise of the cultural economy: a new paradigm.” Heads of international cultural organizations participated in the event. The meeting is the first of its kind to have been held at the initiative of Saudi Arabia, the president of the G20 for the year, prior to G20 Leaders’ Summit on 21-22 November 2020.

ICESCO’s DG congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, his Crown Prince H.R.H. Muhammad bin Salman, and Saudi Arabia for the successful presidency of the G20 Summit 2020. Dr. AlMalik noted that the Group has always provided solutions at the service of humanity through implementing necessary policies in times of crisis.

Dr. AlMalik further stated that ICESCO supported its Member States in addressing the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and endeavored to sustain remote cultural action. He cited ICESCO’s numerous initiatives, namely “ICESCO Digital Home” which offers access to several open knowledge sources. The list also included “ICESCO Creativity Prizes” for short stories, poetry, drawing and music, and “ICESCO Heritage Center.”

The Extraordinary Conference of Member States’ Culture Ministers also adopted the “ICESCO Project on Digital Culture” to discuss “the management of cultural affairs during the pandemic,” held in June 2020.

Dr. AlMalik revealed that ICESCO is considering building an international center for arts and is currently launching the “ICESCO Roads for Cultural Communication” project, as part of the “Islamic World’s Culture Capitals Program.” He also stated that the Organization proposes a new action plan for reforming, through the adoption of the digital culture economy, the cultural sector in the post-COVID world, based on four main axes:

1. Developing cultural sectors for innovative conversion to the economy of digital culture and creative industries;
2. Reforming the audiovisual and interactive media and promoting the sector of design and creative services;
3. Encouraging cultural tourism to reap benefit from tangible and intangible heritage as part of culture-making;
4. Making new laws and legislations through the establishment of funds to support youth in the launch of start-ups and skill-sharing worldwide.

The DG thanked H.H. Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Culture, President of the Conference, for inviting ICESCO to the important event. The goal was to discuss the promotion of culture and ways to support the global cultural economy and lay bridges for cultural communication.