Addressing a press conference, he thanked the Saudi government for its continuous support to the MWL. “The United Nations has given us the Messenger of Peace certificate in appreciation for our humanitarian activities all over the world,” Al-Turki said.
He said an international conference on “The MWL: Its Present and Future” would be held in Makkah to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary with the participation of leading Islamic scholars and heads of Islamic groups and centers in different parts of the world.
“The MWL has become an international organization with offices in different parts of the world. It would not have achieved this stature without the Saudi government’s support,” Al-Turki said. The MWL was established in 1960 during the reign of King Saud.
He said the MWL had formed a number of organizations for the welfare of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries. “We have established 10 institutes to teach Shariah and modern sciences in addition to an institute in Makkah for the training of imams and preachers.”
He said the MWL’s activities during King Abdullah’s era were marked by its openness to the world and interaction with leaders of other religious faiths and cultures. “We were honored to organize interfaith dialogue conferences in Makkah, Madrid and Geneva,” he said.
The Makkah conference decided to establish an international council for dialogue under the MWL.
Al-Turki expressed his sorrow over the strident media campaigns against Islam and Muslims. The MWL has sent delegations to America and Europe to meet with officials, politicians and intellectuals in order to educate them about the basic principles of Islam and remove their misconceptions about the divine religion.
The international conference will be held in Makkah from July 31 to Aug. 2.
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,” Al-Turki said.
