The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam along with a delegation from the Council have met a number of Hawza scholars and academics as well as university professors at the Al-Khoei Institute in Najaf, Iraq.

The Secretary-General and travelling delegation met with Iraq's former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Hassan Nadhem as well as Sayyed Jawad Al-Khoei, the Secretary-General of the Al-Khoei Institute in Najaf. Al-Khoei praised the Council under the Chairmanship of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb for its role in promoting Islamic unity. Attendees also praised the Grand Imam’s positive role in promoting inter-Islamic dialogue while stressing the urgent need to hold further meetings and dialogue to spread peace among Muslims. 

For his part, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam stressed that the Council’s message is based on Islamic and human fraternity which is a message that was expressed by His Eminence the Grand Imam in the period prior to his call for an inter-Islamic dialogue to combat sectarian division and sedition.

Judge Abdelsalam added that the delegation’s visit to Iraq is part of the Grand Imam’s call, which has been universally met with appreciation. The visit, he pointed, is also a great opportunity to connect with fellow Muslims and Arabs with a shared culture and language and to discuss mutual challenges facing the Muslim world. 

Abdelsalam concluded that the delegation is set to promote discussions and thinking for the service of humanity by helping to transition away from conflict to agreement and cooperation, which in itself is a divine command. He also emphasized that sound Sunni-Shiite relations are crucial to maintaining Arab and Islamic values in the face of challenges faced by everyone. 

A delegation from the Muslim Council of Elders is currently visiting Iraq with the visit set to include a number of meetings with prominent Sunni and Shia religious leaders and scholars. The visit will feature meetings in Baghdad, Najaf and Erbil and aims to build productive channels of dialogue with all facets of Iraqi society.