CAIRO : An International Conference on Fatwa was held in Cairo, Egypt on 18th and 19th of October, in which dignitaries from 90 countries participated.
Mufti M.I.M. Rizwe, President of ACJU and Ash-Shaikh M.L.M. Ilyas – Secretary of the ACJU Fatwa Committee participated in this conference representing Sri Lanka.
On the first day of the conference, 18th October, Ash Shaikh Dr. Shawki Allam- Grand Mufti of Egypt & Head of the International Fatwa Committee, Ash Shaikh Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Jumaa -Egyptian Minister of Endowments, Ash Shaikh Dr. Muhammad Al-Ḍuwaini- Deputy of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Egypt and Bishop Anba Armiya, Representative of the Christian Churches of Egypt addressed the prestigious gathering with thought-provoking speeches. Ash Shaikh Dr. Mahmoud Sidqi Al Habash, Supreme Judge and Special Advisor to President of Palestine delivered a special address on the situation in Palestine.
International religious dignitaries from countries such as Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Algeria also addressed the gathering. It is noteworthy that several constructive thoughts were presented which are immensely beneficial to the Muslims and the entire humanity around the globe.
The second day session of the conference was held on 19th of October, during which a workshop was conducted on the theme –‘Establishing a code of conduct to issue Fatwa on using Artificial Intelligence Technology”.
Many international researchers presented their views on this topic and Mufti M.I.M. Rizwe- President of ACJU & Ash Shaikh M.L.M. Ilyas -Secretary of the ACJU Fatwa Committee also presented their researches to the audience.
At the conclusion of the Conference, 14 resolutions were promulgated of which 7 were related to the Palestine.
The following is the summary of the resolutions announced in the presence of prominent learned Religious Scholars, Ministers, Analysts, Economists, Social Leaders, Academics from around 90 countries.
- The issue of Palestine and Baitul Muqaddas is deeply emotional in the hearts of Muslims. The land must be given to its rightful owners.
- The people of Palestine should live in peace just as people in other parts of the world live their routine lives in peace and tranquility.
- The role and responsibility of the Alims (Religious Scholars) in the Palestine crisis is enormous.
- Governments should officially support the welfare of Palestine.
- The violence unleashed to the Palestinian people is against the humanity and international law.
- The Government of Egypt should provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
- International organizations and institutions need to prepare themselves appropriately to face contemporary challenges.
- The problems faced by minority Muslims should be resolved.
- Focusing on issuing Fatwas on extremism, violence, atheism, the importance of issuing Fatwas through artificial intelligence technology, as per the needs of the modern world, striving for inter-ethnic coexistence and unity, the need to support global economic cooperation and integration.
These resolutions were announced by Ash Shaikh Dr. Shawki Allam- Grand Mufti of Egypt & Head of the International Fatwa Committee.
After the Conference a special request was submitted on behalf of the ACJU to meet the Hon. Grand of Mufti of Egypt, who honored the request and met the ACJU dignitaries at the Guard Hotel, Cairo on the 21st of October.
Hon. Grand Mufti was accompanied by Mufti M.I.M. Rizwe- President of ACJU and Ash Shaikh M.L.M. Ilyas -Secretary of the ACJU Fatwa Committee, and had an hour long discussion, during which subjects such as, strengthening relations with the prestigious Al-Azhar University, Sri Lankan Muslims and especially with ACJU and other related matters were discussed in a cordial manner. Moreover, the Grand Mufti of Egypt was invited to visit Sri Lanka during the discussion.
