Secretary-General of the Muslim World League
His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa
His Excellency Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa is widely recognized as a leading global voice on moderate Islam, committed to bringing global awareness to the religion’s true message of empathy, understanding and cooperation among all people.
As Secretary General of the Muslim World League, a Makkah-based non-governmental organization that represents adherents of the Islamic faith around the world, Dr. Al-Issa has been a trailblazer in building new partnerships among different communities, faiths and nations. He also heads the Intellectual Warfare Center, a body affiliated with the Saudi Defense Ministry dedicated to combating extremist and terrorist ideology.
Dr. Al-Issa’s groundbreaking interfaith efforts include his trip to Auschwitz in January 2020 for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the death camp. The Auschwitz Museum declared it the most senior Islamic delegation ever to visit. He has been recognized by the American Jewish Committee, the American Sephardi Federation and the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement for his leadership and initiatives to combat anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and hate speech around the world. In 2019, Dr. Al-Issa led representatives of the Abrahamic religions in France in signing an agreement for peace and solidarity, and held a conference on reconciliation in Sri Lanka to heal inter-religious divides created by the terrible Easter terrorist attacks. Dr. Al-Issa also met with His Holiness Pope Francis in 2017 to forge a first of its kind agreement between MWL and the Vatican.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has described Dr. Al-Issa as “the most powerful voice in the Muslim world promoting moderate Islam.” Cardinal Timothy Dolan has called Dr. Al-Issa “the most eloquent spokesman in the Islamic world for reconciliation and friendship among the religions.” President Russell Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, "You are a peacemaker. You are a bridge builder. And we need more leaders like you." President Ari Berman of Yeshiva University hailed Dr. Al-Issa’s efforts to rebuild the historic relationship between Muslims and Jews through engaging and educating the next generation of leaders.
U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback has praised Dr. Al-Issa’s partnership in bringing together the Abrahamic faiths and pushing back against forces of hate, calling him “a constituent of the future, of what the world needs, and will look like in the future. I applaud it.” U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combatting anti-Semitism Elan Carr applauded Dr. Al-Issa’s “remarkable vision and his commitment to turning over a new chapter and building a new future for the sake of not only Jewish and Christian children, but for the sake of all the children of the world who deserve this better future of decency and justice and tolerance and love that we know we can build for them, thanks to his leadership.”
The 2020 U.S. State Department Country Reports on Terrorism recognized Dr. Al-Issa’s achievements in countering violent extremism: “The Muslim World League Secretary General, Dr. Mohammad al-Issa, pressed a message of interfaith dialogue, religious tolerance, and peaceful coexistence with global religious authorities, including Muslim imams outside the Arab world. He also conducted outreach with a variety of Jewish and Christian leaders, including prominent U.S. rabbis and Christian evangelicals.”
The 2019 U.S. State Department Report on Counterterrorism hailed Dr. Al-Issa’s leadership in promoting moderate Islam: “He continues to work hard to deliver the message of moderation and coexistence internationally, including efforts to reach out to Muslim minority communities, Jewish communities in the United States and Europe, and Christian churches in the Middle East.