Category: News update

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), gave the opening lecture of the second edition of the “Hadith Al-Khamis” Series, which the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences at Mohamed V University in Rabat organized. The Faculty held the lecture on Thursday, February 18, 2021, and addressed the topic “Thinking about the future: stakes and challenges.”

The DG opened his lecture with the question “What is the future?” stating that there are thousands of definitions for the notion of “future.” He added that philosophers, scientists, and poets were the major category that thought about the future starting from ancient to more recent times, with figures like Mohamed Iqbal and his foresight philosophy and thought. He maintained that later on during the post-World War II period, a shift occurred from adopting theoretical proactive thought to scientific future applications.

The DG underscored that strategic intelligence is logical and reasonable as it is the intelligence of the future and the ability to think about it. He added that any future foresight without strategic planning remains mere predictions that may or may not happen because planning is the prerequisite for the foresight to be scientific.

Dr. AlMalik stated during the lecture that the University of the Future should adopt a human-oriented vision that places humans at the core of university research and works towards encouraging cooperation instead of futile competitiveness. He also stressed the need for universities to open up to their external surroundings, as development hubs that contribute to the economy and open new prospects for research in various fields.

Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Dr. Jamal Eddine El-Hani, also delivered the opening address for the lecture.

The lecture series “Hadith Al-Khamis” consists of open and interactive lectures discussing intellectual, social, and cultural issues, with the participation of senior intellectuals and scholars.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, met with Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL). The two parties examined cooperation between ICESCO and the League and the programmes that can be implemented during the next phase.

During yesterday’s meeting in Riyadh, KSA, Dr. Al-Issa reviewed the most significant activities of the League during the COVID-19 pandemic with their great impact. Dr. AlMalik also touched on ICESCO’s work in its fields of competence, the programmes and activities that the Organization launched and implemented, and the support it provided to several of its Member States in facing the negative effects of the pandemic. He then presented Dr. Al-Issa with a copy of the report on ICESCO’s achievements during the period from May 2019 to September 2020.

The two parties agreed to develop the partnership between ICESCO and the League in many areas and to work together to implement programmes and assist several countries in dire need of aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The parties also agreed that the MWL and the Muhammadan League of Scholars in Morocco will be strategic partners in ICESCO’s international conference on “Civilizational Values in the Prophet’s Seerah,” which the Secretary-General of the League described as important, especially in light of the despicable attacks on the person of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with Mr. Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Saudi Deputy Minister of Culture. The meeting also brought together Mr. Hattan bin Mounir bin Samman, Secretary-General of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science; Mr. Rakan Ibrahim Al-Touq, General Supervisor of Strategy and International Relations at the Ministry; and some officials at the Ministry.

During the meeting, held yesterday February 18, 2021, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the main initiatives, programmes, and activities of ICESCO in the coming two years as well as the celebration of 2021 as the Year of Women. He also commended the achievements of the Saudi Ministry of Culture which strives to publicize identity through leading cultural initiatives inside and outside of Saudi Arabia and supporting and disseminating Islamic arts worldwide.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s keenness to cooperate with the Saudi Ministry of Culture and all the competent parties concerned with ICESCO’s areas of action.

The Deputy Minister of Culture lauded the leading role of ICESCO in all the cultural fields, particularly Islamic arts such as Arabic calligraphy and many others.

ICESCO DG proposed to the Saudi Ministry of Culture to sponsor some of ICESCO cultural chairs and awards and co-organize the Islamic Arts Biennale which the Ministry plans to hold this year.

The two parties also agreed that ICESCO will submit multiple programmes for the Ministry of Culture to adopt. Officials at the Ministry showed particular interest in ICESCO’s celebration of 2021 as the Year of Women while stressing the importance of Saudi women’s participation in these activities and highlighting that several female staff members serve at the Ministry. Many women also served as CEOs on some of the Ministry’s bodies.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, Deputy Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, to explore cooperation prospects between the Kingdom and ICESCO in the fields of education, science, and culture, in addition to several topics of mutual interest.

During the meeting on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, Dr. AlMalik discussed the major programmes and activities that ICESCO will implement over the next period, as part of the Organization’s proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women. The DG also discussed the work ICESCO carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the efforts of its Member States to mitigate the impact of the crisis, presenting the Deputy Foreign Minister with a copy of ICESCO’s achievement report over the period between May 2019 and September 2020.

The DG also noted that ICESCO’s new vision adopts an open-door policy with regional and international organizations and bodies and endorses building cooperation with them for the benefit of ICESCO Member States and Muslim communities across the globe.

Eng. Al-Khuraiji commended the work of ICESCO and its leading roles in the fields of education, science, and culture, reaffirming the importance of cooperation with international and specialized organizations, especially the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Dr. Abdulmajeed bin Abdullah Al-Banyan, President of Naïf Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at the University headquarters in Riyadh. The meeting also brought together the vice-presidents of the University and saw the signing of a cooperation agreement between ICESCO and NAUSS.

Dr. Al-Banyan gave a presentation on NAUSS’s future vision on security sciences, which focuses on leadership in training, academic excellence, reference in scientific research, institutional effectiveness, and financial sustainability. He also stressed that NAUSS aspires to be the first Arab university in the areas of security sciences through prioritizing the development of security sciences in the areas of cybersecurity, organized crime, combating terrorism, extremism and forgery, and environmental security, etc.

Dr. Al-Banyan shed light on the potentials and the research and training centers of the University while reaffirming that NAUSS can become one of the top 10 world universities in the field of security sciences.

The meeting also reviewed the most recent programmes and projects that are being implemented in cooperation with international organizations, research centers, and universities, particularly between ICESCO and NAUSS. The focus was also on future cooperation programmes, particularly in the exchange of scientific and academic expertise and capacity-building experiences, the promotion of scientific research and technology transfer, and scholarships for students from Member States.

The two parties also tackled the expansion of scholarships to provide opportunities for more students from the Islamic world to study at NAUSS and benefit from its modern training centers and post-graduate programmes in various security disciplines.

The cooperation agreement that ICESCO DG and NAUSS President signed during his meeting aims at strengthening cooperation between the two parties in academic and scientific fields, research, programmes and activities, training and scientific seminars, capacity-building for decision-makers, policymakers and civil society institutions, and good investment of scientific potentials and resources to promote policies in areas of common interest.

Following the meeting, Dr. Al-Banyan took Dr. AlMalik on a tour of some of the specialized centers, which the University equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, and provided an explanation of their working mechanisms and contribution to the development of security sciences, in accordance with the latest global standards.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), signed on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, a partnership agreement with King Abdulaziz University and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Academy of Arab Poetry of Taif University, at the headquarters of the Emirate of Makkah Region, in the presence of H.R.H. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Region.  

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Dr. Abdulrahman Obaid Al-Youbi, President of King Abdulaziz University, signed the partnership agreement, which provides for cooperation between the two parties to support scientific research in the fields of education, science, culture, and communication. The agreement also aims to hold fora and meetings in the fields of education and science, fund twenty chairs of ICESCO Chairs Programme, provide the necessary technical assistance for conducting and publishing educational and scientific research and studies, implement specific activities and programmes, and encourage creative young talents in the field of scientific research.

Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Yousef Asiri, President of Taif University, signed the MoU, which sets forth cooperation between ICESCO and the Academy of Arab Poetry in supporting Arab poetry, promoting women’s poetry, and celebrating the World Poetry Day through cultural and artistic activities. The MoU also aims at publicizing Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal International Prize for Arabic Poetry, holding an international forum of poetry, networking the academies, associations and clubs of poetry, publicizing the works of great poets, translating poetry anthologies to world languages, promoting the role of poetry and poets in the civilizational dialogue, enhancing the values of tolerance, synergy and solidarity, and sharing scientific and academic expertise and capacity-building experiences.