- RIYADH: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is holding a round-table discussion in Riyadh on Tuesday.
- The discussion will focus on a comparative study on the right of asylum as seen by Islamic teachings and international refugee law by professor Ahmad Abou El Wafa, chief of the Department of Public International Law in Cairo University.
It was written on behalf of UNHCR in collaboration with Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), and is sponsored by Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior.
Both the UNHCR and NAUSS intend to review the study in order to publish the second edition. The round table was set up to achieve this goal with the participation of a plethora of experts from various government and private organizations.
The study focuses on the deep influence of Islamic tradition and thought on modern international law with regard to refugees since Islamic teachings addressed the issue of asylum explicitly more than 1,400 years ago and detailed specific procedures in responding to asylum requests.
Thus it is one of the goals of this study that the international community recognize these contributions to modern law.
