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Al-Issa Launches Initiative to Protect Youth From Extremism, Spread Tolerance

Al-Issa at the international conference for youth protection (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Al-Issa at the international conference for youth protection (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Al-Issa Launches Initiative to Protect Youth From Extremism, Spread Tolerance

Al-Issa at the international conference for youth protection (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Al-Issa at the international conference for youth protection (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Muslim World League (MWL) announced an initiative for “protecting youths from extreme and violent ideas and its mechanisms of implementation” which was launched by Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed al-Issa. This came at the UN headquarters in Geneva during an international conference that was attended by prime ministers, parliament speakers, UN ambassadors, and prominent religious and intellectual figures and academics.

Al- Issa said the initiative aims to protect youths from ideas of violent extremism and those that incite them to commit acts of violence. He stressed that educational institutions all over the world have the responsibility to protect youths from extremist ideologies in all of their forms by incorporating into their curriculums “interactive activities” that show how disagreement, diversity, and pluralism are inevitable, and that, if put in a positive framework, they can enrich humanity and unity.

He also said it was important to reflect how religious, ethnic and ideological conflicts danger social harmony and world peace.

Al-Issa stressed the importance of filtering the rhetoric directed at young people, making sure they are not exposed to a language which fuels conflict and hatred and stirs hostility and racism. Instead, the principle of equality should spread, emphasizing the importance of tolerance and forgiveness and rejecting hatred, racism, and marginalization.

He called on the authorities in each country to establish programs that strengthen the role played by families in cultivating sound mentalities in children and youths and to establish a plethora of initiatives in which various institutions corporate to support religious, cultural and ethnic harmony in diverse countries.

Al-Issa also stressed that religious and intellectual institutions should feel a sense of responsibility with regard to countering extremism, terrorism, and violence. This should be done by delving into the details of the ideology and unpacking it clearly and deeply. He also emphasized that “it is vital that we prevent the exportation or importation of fatwas and religious ideas out of their context, stressing that extremism is to be condemned in all cases. 

For his part, the Grand Mufti of Sheikh Dr. Shawki Allam confirmed that terrorists’ ambitions went as far as establishing armies and taking over modern technological tools.

Meanwhile, the president of the Supreme Islamic Council of Algeria Bouabdallah Mohamed Gholam Allah thanked the MWL, which plays an important role in spreading real Islamic values.

 Monsignor Khaled Okasha, a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in the Vatican State, said the Makkah Document will be a beacon of hope for the promotion of peace and harmony around the world and the confrontation of extremist and hateful rhetoric.

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Culture

Crowds Flock to Istanbul's Museum of Innocence before TV Adaptation

Pamuk brought his bestselling novel to life in a red-painted house in Istanbul. Yasin AKGUL / AFP
Pamuk brought his bestselling novel to life in a red-painted house in Istanbul. Yasin AKGUL / AFP
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Crowds Flock to Istanbul's Museum of Innocence before TV Adaptation

Pamuk brought his bestselling novel to life in a red-painted house in Istanbul. Yasin AKGUL / AFP
Pamuk brought his bestselling novel to life in a red-painted house in Istanbul. Yasin AKGUL / AFP

On a cobbled street in Cukurcuma, a district on Istanbul's European side known for its antiques shops, the story penned by Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk in his bestselling novel "The Museum of Innocence" has been brought to life.

Inside a red-painted house, visitors are confronted by a wall of 4,213 cigarette butts, many of them lipstick-stained, others angrily stubbed out, all obsessively kept by the book's protagonist, Kemal Basmaci.

Just days before Friday's launch of a serialized Netflix adaptation of the novel, hundreds of curious visitors have come to the museum, squeezing past one another on the narrow wooden stairs up to Basmaci's attic room.

At the entrance, Umit, who runs the museum and declined to give his surname, said there had been about 500 visitors per day since Netflix began running trailers for the nine-part series, compared to 200 on a normal day.

"And that will likely double after it comes out," he predicted.

Set in the 1970s, the series features a young man from a wealthy Istanbul family who is devastated by the end of his relationship with Fusun, a distant cousin from a working-class background.

The break-up sends him on an obsessive mission to collect anything that is hers, AFP said.

Hence the wall of cigarette butts mounted on pins, each painstakingly labelled by circumstance, collected over an eight-year period starting from 1976.

There are hundreds more items on display, from bits of jewelry to items of clothing, photos, cinema tickets and bottles of Meltem soda, which was popular in the 1970s -- a huge collection of mundane mementoes passionately collected to fill the void left by Fusun's absence.

They are laid out in 83 display cases, the same number of chapters in the book.

Nobel literature prize-winner Pamuk, who opened the museum in 2012, four years after the novel was published, has admitted to being a similarly compulsive collector.

- 'Truth in it' -

The novel emerged when he began writing about the objects he had saved, everything from family keepsakes to trinkets picked up at the bazaars, which gradually brought his characters to life.

The museum showcases objects that make up the story, but the story also developed as he acquired new objects, the museum website says.

And the whole novel opens a unique window onto a decade of Istanbul history.

Songul Tekin, 28, a visitor who loved the book, said she is convinced some of it really happened and came to the museum to "see it in real life".

"It's told in real depth. There has to be some truth in it because otherwise you would never have so many objects and so much detail," she told AFP.

She arrived with a friend and her copy of the novel -- a gesture which lets visitors enter for free, thanks to a ticket on page 485 of the Turkish version of the book.

Also visiting was Aydin Deniz Yuce, a psychologist in his 30s who is a huge fan of Pamuk's works.

Although "The Museum of Innocence" was not his "favorite", he said he was really keen to see the Netflix series and is convinced the "handsomeness" of the main actor, Selahattin Pasali, will be perfect for creating a credible Kemal.

- Turkish series, global popularity -

With the novel translated into more than 60 languages, the museum has drawn international interest.

Visitors from China, Hungary, Italy, Japan and Russia turned up over the space of a few hours, an AFP correspondent said.

Poring over the display cabinets, Zeng Hu and Zeng Lin An, sisters from Hubei province in central China, said they were now intrigued to read the book and watch the series, although Netflix is not available in China.

Speaking to AFP at the screening late on Thursday, Pamuk said he was happy with the adaptation by Istanbul-based production company Ay Yapim after a disastrous first attempt several years ago.

"Since I was so dissatisfied and unhappy with my first try with Hollywood, I decided I wouldn't allow anyone to make a film of any of my books without seeing the complete script first," he said.

That meant working closely with a scriptwriter for 18 months before any money changed hands, which gave him "tight control" over the script.

"Once every two months, we would meet, like students doing homework. I would go over the scriptwriter's texts, criticize it, improve it, suggest other things," Pamuk said.

"It worked magically."

Hugely popular, Turkish television dramas and series, known as "dizi", are now available in 170 countries.

Global demand for them rose by 184 percent between 2020 and 2023, figures from Parrot Analytics show.

In 2024, Türkiye was the world's third-largest exporter of television series, after the United States and the UK.

Fashion

Michael Kors Brings ‘New York Chic’ to NY Fashion Week with Latest Collection 

A model presents a creation from the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2026 collection during New York Fashion Week in New York City, US, February 12, 2026. (Reuters)
A model presents a creation from the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2026 collection during New York Fashion Week in New York City, US, February 12, 2026. (Reuters)
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Michael Kors Brings ‘New York Chic’ to NY Fashion Week with Latest Collection 

A model presents a creation from the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2026 collection during New York Fashion Week in New York City, US, February 12, 2026. (Reuters)
A model presents a creation from the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2026 collection during New York Fashion Week in New York City, US, February 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Michael Kors launched its fall/winter collection on Thursday during New York Fashion Week as models in wool coats and monochromatic sweaters walked the runway carrying feathered bags.

The show celebrated the brand's 45th anniversary. The presentation also ‌comes just over ‌a week after Michael ‌Kors parent ⁠company Capri Holdings ⁠reported a 5.6% drop in the brand's sales in its holiday quarter attributed to reduced promotions. Michael Kors accounts for more than 80% of the company's revenue.

Models, including Alex Consani and Christy ⁠Turlington, strutted the staircase of the ‌Metropolitan Opera ‌House showing off tailored suits, embroidered florals and ‌cashmere sweater dresses inspired by the idea ‌of "no nonsense to being chic in New York," the brand's namesake said.

New York is "gritty, tough, rough, resilient, and then you turn ‌the corner and it's glamorous, opulent, and fabulous," designer Michael Kors ⁠told ⁠Reuters. "I think the balance of those two sides of things ... that is something that has informed my approach."

Actresses Gabrielle Union, Dakota Fanning and Leslie Bibb watched the show along with Vogue Chief Content Officer and Global Editorial Director Anna Wintour.

Capri Holdings shares dropped 3.39% on Thursday. They have lost 12% over the last 12 months.

Gulf

Rakan bin Salman Appointed Governor of Diriyah at Critical Juncture in its Transformation 

Prince Rakan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (Social media)
Prince Rakan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (Social media)
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Rakan bin Salman Appointed Governor of Diriyah at Critical Juncture in its Transformation 

Prince Rakan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (Social media)
Prince Rakan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. (Social media)

Prince Rakan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz has taken the helm of what is widely regarded as the Kingdom’s crown jewel, following the issuance of a royal order appointing him Governor of Diriyah.

The appointment came as part of a series of royal decrees issued on Thursday by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, highlighting the strategic importance of Diriyah at a critical juncture in its transformation.

Diriyah holds a unique place in Saudi history as the birthplace of the Saudi state and a powerful symbol of national unity. Today, an ambitious development program is reshaping the area into a globally prominent cultural destination, echoing its historic role as a commercial hub and a flourishing center of learning and culture.

Prince Rakan bin Salman’s appointment coincides with a defining moment for the governorate, which is transitioning from a historic capital of the early Saudi state into a world-class cultural and tourism destination designed for the 21st century.

Born in 1997, Prince Rakan is the youngest son of King Salman. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University in Riyadh, bringing a legal background to a role that blends heritage preservation with modern governance.

His leadership comes amid unprecedented momentum in Diriyah’s development. No longer viewed merely as a historic site, Diriyah has become a vast, integrated development zone with ambitions to attract up to 100 million visitors annually by 2030.

At the forefront of the new governor’s agenda is a portfolio of landmark projects, most notably the multibillion-dollar Diriyah Gate development. The project encompasses the historic At-Turaif district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, alongside broader plans to reinforce Diriyah’s position as a global hub for arts, culture, and immersive international experiences.