The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al- Azhar has announced its newest member, Prof. Dr. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of Fiqh Academy (IIFA) of OIC.

Prof. Dr. Sano is considered one of the staunchest opponents to religious extremism as well as being a strong proponent of tolerance and coexistence in his native Guinea, a nation well-known for its religious and cultural diversity. He is also one of the most influential scholars in West Africa and South East Asia, where he earned a PhD in Law from the International Islamic University in Malaysia in 1998.

Prof. Dr. Sano earned his Bachelor’s degree from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia as well as a Master’s degree in Comparative Jurisprudence from the same institution. He also holds a second PhD in Islamic Finance from Zaitouna University in Tunisia. He was also given the title of ‘ Dato ’ by the former King of Malaysia and Sultan of Pahang in 2007, for his services to the people of Malaysia.

His career includes being the former Minister of Religious Affairs in his native Guinea from 2009 until 2011 before becoming Minister of International Cooperation and African Integration from 2011 until 2016. Later, he became advisor and Minister in the President of Guinea's office for Diplomatic Affairs, from March 2016 until June 2020. In July 2020, he was appointed as the secretary general of the Fiqh Academy.

The inclusion of Prof. Dr. Koutoub Sano to the the Muslim Council Elders comes as part of the Council’s efforts to include the most prominent scholars, experts and personalities of the Muslim world and to benefit from their expertise in order to achieve peace and harmony for Muslim communities around the world.