Muslim World League launches social peace initiative in West Africa

MAKKAH: The Muslim World League has launched an initiative to promote social peace in West Africa, bringing together religious, political and civil society leaders around a joint framework for strengthening coexistence and preventing conflict.
Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the organization’s secretary-general and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, launched the initiative.
This follows the league’s international conference, “Diversity and Social Peace: A Partnership for a Promising Future,” held in Abuja under the patronage of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The conference brought together Muslim and Christian religious leaders, ministers, parliamentarians and civil society representatives, and culminated in the unanimous adoption of the Abuja Declaration by religious leaders representing the region’s faith communities.
The declaration outlines a joint action plan involving government institutions, religious leaders and civil society organizations, with a focus on preventing conflict, strengthening social cohesion and protecting national unity amid the region’s religious and ethnic diversity.
It also calls for expanding scientific, training and media programs linked to the Charter of Makkah to address challenges to peace, coexistence and social stability, while promoting partnerships aimed at preventing conflicts and preserving the social fabric.
Al-Issa witnessed the roundtable meeting on “Religion and the Making of Social Harmony." It resulted in the signing of an initial package of agreements, most notably a deal between the MWL and the Interfaith Mediation Center in Nigeria, and an agreement between the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah in Nigeria and the Council of Christian Religious Leaders in Northern Nigeria.
It also led to the signing of an agreement between the Nasrul-Lahi-il-Fatih Society of Nigeria and the Christian Youth for Peace and Development initiative, in addition to a deal between the Federation of Ahlus-Sunnah Organizations in Nigeria and the Union of Progressive Pastors.
The Coordinating Body of Religious and Civilian Leaders and Institutions in West Africa will oversee the implementation of the signed memoranda of understanding, as well as all commitments of the MWL’s social peace initiative as included in the Abuja Declaration, to ensure their proper execution, the achievement of their objectives, and the accuracy of their periodic assessments.
The initiative focuses on addressing the root causes of intellectual and social problems, including extremist ideologies, while seeking to ensure sustained cooperation through binding agreements among governments, religious institutions and civil society organizations.