INTERNATIONAL Islamic Council for D'awah and Relief (IICDR) groups together 86 Islamic organizations. The objective of the Council is to promote the message of Islam, improve relations between Muslim peoples and provide aid and assistance to the needy, the orphans, and the widows. Among the member organizations are included: International Islamic Committee for Woman and Child (IICWC), International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), World Muslim Congress (WMC) and Muslim World League (MWL). This organization was formed in Cairo some 25 years ago in a meeting attended by Al-Azhar in Egypt and the Makkah-based Rabitat Al-Alam al-Islami and the Kuwait-based Islamic Relief Organization.These organizations had been working in the field of D'awah, education and relief independently and there was no coordination and cooperation among them. There was a need for a coordinating body to make use of the resources and information. The Council for D'awah and Relief, based in Cairo, was formed as a coordinating body and has been coordinating D'awah, education and relief works outside the Muslim world. The members of the Council meet, at least, once in a year to review what was achieved in the field of D'awah, education and relief. The Council is presently headed by Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, who was nominated as its Secretary General in January 2008 after the passing away of Dr. Kamel Al-Sharif.Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, the newly-nomainated Secretary General, is a leading Saudi Islamic scholar and intellectual. He has served as Deputy Chairman of the Kindom's Shoura Council, Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL), President of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, and Vice President, Rabita Trust for the Repatriation of Pakistanis Stranded in Bangladesh. He currently heads the World Muslim Congress (WMC), and International Federation of Muslim Scouts, besides serving as a member of the World Economic Forum, and the C-100 Council.Dr. Naseef is also involved with the progress of Saudi National Dialogue aimed at bringing about social, educational and political reforms in the Kingdom.In an interview with this writer, Dr. Naseef spoke about the background of the formation of the Council. He said, “There were different organizations working in the field of D'awah, education and relief independently and no coordination and cooperation existed among them.We thought it is important to have a coordinating body to make use of the resources and information that the other organizations had. It was very demanding at that time. But Alhamdulillah, this Council was formed 25 years ago. It was very quite a positive step.”About his vision for the future of the Council, Dr. Naseef said, “It is a coordinating body and we wish to make greater use of its human and material resources in order to accomplish more in the outside world where the Muslims are in need of that help. Very little cooperation has been achieved so far because people are reluctant to come forward; they are not fulfilling the targets. I look forward to do something to improve the situation and to make this organization more effective, more relevant and more productive.”To achieve the Council's vision and goals, “We shall need a lot more activities and cooperation among the members of our executive committee, the media and communication section of the Council,” Dr. Naseef said. The former Secretary General of the International Islamic Council for D'awah and Relief, Dr. Kamel Al-Sharif, who passed away recently, was an eminent Islamist and a distinguished scholar from Jordan.He was a member of the Constituent Council of the Muslim World League, co-chair, World Council of Religious Leaders, former minister of Islamic Affairs, Jordan and a member of the upper house of Jordan's Parliament. He also served as his country's ambassador to Nigeria, Japan, Germany, Republic of China, Pakistan, and other countries. He wrote nine books and many articles on political affairs and religious matters. __
