MAKKAH: Religious tolerance under Shariah and the freedom of expression are expected to dominate deliberations at the 19th International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) in Sharjah later this month.
Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qassimi will host the conference from April 26 to 30, said Abdul Salam Al-Ebady, secretary-general of IIFA, an offshoot of the Jeddah-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
“Wide-ranging topics, such as Islamic finance, banking, domestic abuse, health and medicine and environmental protection, will feature in the discussions of the 19th conference of IIFA,” Al-Ebady said in a statement yesterday.
“About 200 Muslim scholars from different parts of the world are expected to participate in the event. The organizing committee has already received a number of papers to be presented in the various sessions of the conference,” Al-Ebady said.
After the opening of the conference by Sheikh Al-Qassimi on April 26, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Chairman of the IIFA Saleh Bin-Humaid, who is also the head of Kingdom’s Supreme Judicial Council, will address the conference.
Religious tolerance under the Shariah and the freedom of expression are two of the most important topics to be discussed on the first two days of the conference, said Al-Ebady.
Papers will be presented on the role of Shariah in Muslim banking, sukuk securitization, endowment of sukuk and stocks, and the build, operate and transfer (BOT) system in developing endowments.
The scholars will also discuss issues such as domestic abuse in the Muslim world, diabetes and fasting and environmental protection in Islam.
Describing the conference as the largest and most scholarly international event to discuss modern issues in the light of Islamic jurisprudence, Al-Ebady said: “The participants coming from more than 60 countries, including countries with sizable Muslim minorities, will comprise muftis and ministers of Islamic affairs and endowments besides scholars and experts in various topics.”
