The Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, in his opening speech at the Geneva Global Solidarity Conference to confront the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), stressed that national societies around the world will not be able to cooperate in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic unless they enhance awareness among individuals and institutions, which must be accompanied by well-thought-out programs. The event, which was hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Swiss Capital Geneva, was also attended by the Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the World Council of Churches as well leaders of major international organizations, and many government representatives and civil figures. The event was moderated by the former Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Bondevik. The participants stressed the importance of the role of religious leaders in raising the awareness of societies about dealing with the pandemic, especially the initiative to take vaccines, proposing a road map that includes fair distribution of vaccines. In his address, Dr. Al-Issa said: "The great efforts of WHO in reducing the world's suffering from (COVID-19) is seen as part of the distinguished efforts to achieve world peace," stressing that "it created this peace by closely following up on the developments of (COVID-19) and providing effective instructions, which has contributed greatly to alleviating the suffering from this pandemic". The secretary-general said the world could only confront this pandemic through collective effort, citing the challenges to some national societies, including the lack of awareness of the importance of immunization, and providing immunization for all, especially poor countries, stressing that the first challenge can be tackled only through influencers in societies on the one hand, and through effective laws. Dr. Al-Issa also reviewed the efforts of MWL since the beginning of the pandemic, starting from its headquarters in Makkah, saying: "Our efforts in confronting the pandemic stem from our Islamic values with their comprehensive humanity without discrimination." He noted that their efforts included the distribution of in-kind assistance in direct coordination with governments, as well as medical equipment for health institutions, and food aid for vulnerable groups while working to spread preventive awareness, to more than 30 countries around the world, where the focus was on the most affected countries, with no regard to any religious, nor ethnic, nor political backgrounds. He added, "We have helped wealthy European countries that at the time of the pandemic needed support after their health system was on the verge of collapse, which made this pandemic bear important lessons for us that we still benefit from every day." He pointed out that some ideas seemingly based on religion, whether among some Muslims or others, sometimes formed a barrier against taking vaccinations. "We have done what we needed to do to raise awareness, especially educating influential religious leaders, in cooperation with our partners in countries that required intervention to help, among the last of these programs, was the Imams for Vaccine Program, which depends on motivating everyone to take vaccinations, and clarifying to them the religious misconceptions," he said. — SPA
