The Council of World Affairs in Los Angeles hosted His Excellency the Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa in a conversational symposium over the visual communication attended by more than thousand personalities that are interested in the intellectual and political causes related to following religions and cultures.
Council Chair Kim McCleary Blue started the seminar by welcoming His Excellency Sheikh Al-Issa, praising the global role of the Muslim World League plays in the direction of dialogue, understanding and cooperation between different religions and cultures followers and facing hatred, intolerance and to promote integration and coexistence within diverse societies.
After that, the director of the symposium, Director of Global Social Business of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Abraham Cooper, welcomed His Excellency Sheikh Al-Issa, appreciating the efforts that he had made internationally in the name of the most important international Islamic organization “the Muslim World League”, reviewing the wonderful efforts in this regard.
Dr. Al-Issa thanked the organizers of the symposium, praising Los Angeles as a place rich in diversity that enhances its distinction, and praising the attendance and global influence of the center.
His Excellency pointed out the importance of dialogue between East and West, and the importance of dialogue within a single community between the national diversity, based on its common participants, whether they are national or humanitarian participants or those related to moral values in general.
The Secretary General of the League emphasized that ambiguity and lack of trust between followers of civilizations and cultures undermine attempts to harmonize between them, as it leads to societal division and may lead to violence within national societies, especially those of diversity.

Women and Islam
About women in Islam, the Secretary General of the League said: The Muslim woman has enjoyed a position since the beginning of Islam, and that any violation of her rights does not represent Islam but rather its companions.
His Excellency said: Religious extremism is based on false ideas that we are always interested in working on explaining their falsehood. Stressing that the military confrontation with terrorism, despite its great importance, is not sufficient on its own. Rather, it must be confronted intellectually to expose the falsehood of the theses on which it feeds.
His Excellency affirmed that the League will continue to cooperate with all religious leaders, think tanks and civilizational communication around the world, noting that the League is working to communicate with young people in particular, as the League has met hundreds of influential youth in the Islamic and non-Islamic world.
Sheikh Al-Issa explained, saying: We met, for example, before the Covid-19 pandemic, with hundreds of Indonesian youth, with young people from neighboring countries, Muslims and non-Muslims, in a very wonderful and inspiring meeting for the rest of the youth, and this is only one of the last examples, Significantly, during the meeting, a number of ideas of great interest to youth were reviewed, and they asked us to continue these meetings periodically, and we noticed that the famous people of these young people in the social media shared the discussions and recommendations.
Al-Issa assured that the bet on young people is very important, whether in terms of their influence, or in terms of their being the next future for their homelands and for humanity as a whole.

Covid-19 pandemic

Dr. Al-Issa touched on the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), noting that it “taught us the utmost importance of unity when facing the threats that put us all at risk.”
He said: Epidemics, like terrorism, do not know international borders and do not offer any immunity to any religion, race or belief, so our victory depends on cooperation between us, together hand in hand we must build a safer and more prosperous world for future generations, a world in which persons are not killed in their mosque. Or their church, their church or all the temples, a world that embraces our diversity, a world in which our contributions are valued.
He said that: Our world cannot surpass evil or ignorance that wants to divide us, and wants to make our religious and cultural diversity a tool for conflict and clash, except through effective dialogue and real comprehension of the great divine Sunnah that requires difference and diversity among human beings, just as the logic of justice in all Its meanings and implications are a pillar of human happiness.
The Secretary General of the Muslim World League indicated that the Holy Qur’an confirmed all these meanings in more than one explicit verse on this matter, but extremism does not stop at it and if he reads it he tries to distort its meaning, and in most cases he prefers not to review it.
Al-Issa said: If we want to strengthen our presence in the group of good ones, wise men, reformers and peacemakers, we must first be honest with ourselves and with others, truly understanding the wisdom of our diversity, and how this should support our unity as one human family, and then enhance our love and tolerance. These common human values are the way to deliver our world from the evils of hatred, racism, extremism, violence and terrorism, regardless of its identity, and we must teach our children these values to be an automatic behavior in their personality stemming from their pure conscience and their right mind.

The Dilemma of Unconsciousness

His Excellency explained that the dilemma of unconsciousness represents a major problem around the world, pointing out that education that is abstract about knowledge and effective educational programs does not enhance intellectual and behavioral awareness, and from here came the importance of family and education in promoting awareness that national states benefit from and relations between nations and peoples in general.
He assured the importance of understanding the inevitability of religious, intellectual and civilizational diversity as an important pillar in accepting the other and the success of dialogue and exchange with him, indicating that the results of the civilized clash are extremely dangerous, and that the wise and rational should avoid them at an early date with all means of avoiding, including strengthening the role of the family, education and all institutions of society The relevant civil society, especially the institutions of national integration in the countries of diversity, which will not work efficiently except through preparation, persuasion and polarization, not imposition or contempt and threats.
The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League warned that the real dilemma of these institutions is not often in the efficiency of their legislation, but in the efficiency of their operational tools capable of spreading the national and human spirit in them. Noting that division is a broad concept that affects friendship and harmony between nations and peoples in general, as well as within national states in particular, and that sincerity and complementarity between international and national institutions is the basis for avoiding and remedying international or national division.
Al-Issa assured that racism, hatred and the domination of material interests at the expense of justice and values are considered the greatest threat to world peace and the harmony of societies, and said: These evils represent the raw materials for the manufacture of all evil, including international or national division, and all of this must include international and national legislation that takes into account circumstantial each country, provided that such legislation is strong and effective, addresses its general and detailed crises while constantly following up on its developments.
After that, a dialogue was opened with His Excellency, where he dealt with a number of issues relating to the meeting.
It is noteworthy that the Simon Wiesenthal Center is considered one of the leading centers in the legal and intellectual field, and has previously hosted 250 heads of state, including eight American presidents, as well as parliamentary and intellectual leaders.
Image caption:
Sheikh Al-Issa during his meeting with members of the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles