SRINAGAR: Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, secretary general of the Muslim World League (MWL), on Monday arrived in New Delhi to address various religious leaders, academicians and scholars on Tuesday. He will be also meeting top government officials and policymakers.
Chairman of the Chishty Foundation, Haji Syed Salman Chishty took to his Twitter handle to welcome the leader.
INDIA🇮🇳 welcomes leading Saudi🇸🇦 voice of moderation n peace advocacy H.E. Dr.Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa @MhmdAlissa SG @MWLOrg n Chairman @The_CRL. The visit shall surely boost, empower voices of faith, reasons n understandings which cherish and celebrate Unity in Diversity. pic.twitter.com/e5907q8elO
— Haji Syed Salman Chishty (@sufimusafir) July 10, 2023
On his six-day visit to India from July 10 to July 15, Al-Issa will have meetings with the top officials of India, which includes National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval with whom he is also scheduled to give a speech at BS Abdur Rahman Auditorium at the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
Al-Issa may also be meeting India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar and Smriti Irani, Ministry for Minority Affairs. He is also expected to meet Draupadi Murmu, the President of India.
Reports appearing in the media suggest that he is also going to interact with some important religious leaders at the Vivekananda International Foundation and the President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Besides that, he is also expected to visit the Akshardham temple.
Al-Issa will also be visiting the Jamia Masjid in the capital city for Friday prayers and will be visiting Agra shortly after.
The secretary of the Muslim World League is also expected to be participating in various Islamic and other Indian communities’ organised events, which aim to facilitate friendly debates, understanding and cooperation between various groups.
Al-Issa is being recognised as one of the strong voices who is speaking about moderate Islam, globally. After serving as the Minister of Justice with the Saudi Arabian cabinet, he assumed the charge of the Secretary General of the Muslim World League in 2016.
Al-Issa’s leadership proposed the Charter of Makkah in 2019, which is a 30-point treatise for Muslims all across the world, which rejects terrorism, and extremism and connects Islam with other religions, thus giving the concept of ‘moderate Islam.’ It was signed by 12,00 muftis, scholars and over 45,00 Islamic thinkers.
Besides being the Secretary General of the World Muslim League, he is also the president of the Organisation of Muslim Scholars and chairman of the Centre for Responsible Leadership.
Back in January 2020, Al-Issa led a delegation to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the camp’s liberation from the Nazis. He also delivered the Hajj sermon in 2022, from Masjid Nimra.
Al-Issa was named one of the most influential Muslims in the whole world by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in its 2020 edition of The Muslim 500: The World’s Most Influential Muslims. He also has received a lot of awards and recognitions for his contribution and work.
