Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha emphasized on Monday the significance of unity, solidarity and rapprochement among Muslims, as stressed in the actual teachings of Islam.
He made his remarks at the "Building Bridges between Islamic Schools of Thought and Sects" international conference in the holy city of Makkah.
He encouraged OIC member states to work towards achieving the requirements of solidarity, unification of speech, and rank, and to bring sects, schools of thought, and jurisprudence closer together. This would help overcome any division that weakens them.
Taha pointed out that the Islamic heritage is replete with principles of intellectual openness and acceptance of differences. This underlines the importance of strengthening Islamic unity and the common destiny of the Ummah, placing significant responsibilities on the OIC member states to work towards this goal.
The OIC has been actively working towards bringing Islamic countries closer together in various domains, including political, economic, cultural, and social. It has also made significant efforts in promoting unity among different Islamic sects.
To this end, in 1981, the OIC established the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) as an intellectual and jurisprudential arm. The IIFA is mandated to facilitate collective ijtihad and promote consensus on matters related to jurisprudence and doctrine among the Muslim community, irrespective of their sects.
Taha expressed his optimism that the results and recommendations of this significant conference will help in consolidating jurisprudence and lead to the construction of bridges between sects while simultaneously combating extremism, fanaticism and Islamophobia.
He conveyed his unwavering support for the Palestinian people regarding the challenges they are facing and urged the global community to take on its responsibilities in this regard.
