Category: News update

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.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received on Monday, November 2, at ICESCO headquarters, Ambassador Khalid bin Salman bin Jabr Al-Muslim, Ambassador of Bahrain to Morocco, in his capacity as the representative of the Group of Arab Countries’ Ambassadors to Morocco.

During the meeting, Ambassador Al-Muslim expressed his and the Group’s appreciation of the quantum leap ICESCO’s activities and programs are witnessing. He commended the Organization’s active presence, which yielded concrete outcomes for, and beyond the boundaries of, the Islamic world. The Ambassador also conveyed the Arab Ambassadors’ admiration of the re-engineering efforts as well as the development policies that ICESCO adopted as part of the Organization’s new trajectory.

The Dean of the Arab Ambassadors in Morocco highlighted the significance of the Organization’s civilizational role in meeting the Islamic world’s expectations vis-à-vis the promotion of Muslims’ civilizational image. Ambassador Al-Muslim also commended the remarkable programs that the Organization implemented in the field and reaffirmed Arab Group’s full support.

Dr. AlMalik thanked the Ambassador for the support he conveyed on behalf of the Ambassadors of the Arab Group. He reaffirmed that ICESCO is determined to sustain its renewal and development efforts in its quest to fulfill the aspirations of the Islamic world.