RIYADH: Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, chaired the third session of the Council of Islamic Leaders in North and South America in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
During the session, council members discussed several topics, including religious and national identity. Al-Issa said there was no contradiction between the two within constitutional systems and laws that respect religious particularities, adding that extremist ideologies create such conflicts, the league said in a statement on X.
The council also discussed hatred in general and Islamophobia in particular. Al-Issa said constitutions and laws do not permit hateful practices and praised the Muslim community’s efforts to confront hate speech and discrimination targeting all religions and ethnic groups.
Members also reviewed misconceptions surrounding several Islamic terms and stressed the importance of correcting misunderstandings through scholarly analysis, textual evidence and historical context.
The council was established under the principles of the Charter of Makkah following its founding conference in Washington in March 2022. It brought together Islamic leaders from across the Americas alongside US officials, legislators and religious leaders.
Al-Issa was selected by participants at the founding conference to chair the council because it was established under the Charter of Makkah and at his initiative, as well as for his consensus support among participating parties.
