OIC looks to promote interfaith harmony with new center in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has announced plans to set up an international center at the Islamic International University (IIU) in Islamabad to promote interfaith harmony and religious moderation, a statement released on Thursday read.
As per the official handout circulated by the IIU, an agreement for the initiative was signed in Rabat, Morocco between Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, the head of the OIC’s Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the IIU President Dr. Ahmed Yousif Aldraiweesh. Both the parties agreed that the expenses of the center will be incurred by the OIC.
The facility will also bring together foreign and local experts who will produce literature to address extremist tendencies and provide counter-narratives for radical ideas and ideologies.
The intellectual contributions of these experts will then be used to devise effective strategies to eradicate violent extremism. The IIU management and faculty members have already worked in this field by creating material to promote moderation.
Most recently, the IIU’s senior staff members also spearheaded the effort to produce the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” which is a fatwa or religious decree issued by scholars representing all schools of thought and promoted by the country as part of its national narrative to counter militancy and anti-state activities.
During his visit to Morocco, IIU’s Aldraiweesh also shared details of the same document with a number of Muslim scholars who appreciated the effort and called it a strong foundation against extremist groups, mindsets, and ideologies.