In a statement announcing the conference, MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki commended the Saudi government’s support for his organization. “The MWL has been able to achieve an important position in the world thanks to the support it has received from the Saudi leadership,” he said.

Al-Turki said the MWL was able to interact with leaders of different faiths and cultures while organizing dialogue conferences in Madrid and Geneva.

He said the Makkah conference will highlight MWL’s achievements in the past 50 years. “We have sent invitations to prominent Islamic scholars and heads of Islamic organizations and centers around the world to take part in the conference,” he said.

The conference will focus on four main topics: MWL’s contributions in the past 50 years; MWL’s position in the world; MWL and Islamic issues; and MWL’s efforts to establish a better future for Muslim communities.

“We have formed a number of committees to organize the conference,” the secretary-general said. He further hoped the conference would achieve its objectives.

Meanwhile, Al-Turki received Sheikh Boikary Fofana, the president of the Supreme Council of Imams in the Ivory Coast, and discussed prospects of cooperation between the two organizations.

Sheikh Fofana commended the Kingdom’s efforts to spread the message of Islam around the world by supporting Islamic organizations and centers.

Al-Turki also met with Ibrahim Tamunga, secretary-general of the Islamic Cultural Center in New York, who explained his organization’s activities.