The Arab World Institute in Paris hosted His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Alissa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, where he was received by His Excellency Mr. Jack Lang, President of the Institute.

 

The evening included an important tour of the first-of-its-kind museum dedicated to the Gaza Strip. The exhibition documents Gaza’s extensive civilizational history through photographs and films of historical monuments, such as mosques, churches, and archaeological sites that were previously registered with UNESCO, and have since been destroyed.

The Arab World Institute is a unique institution celebrating Arab culture. It began with an ambitious shared vision between King Khalid bin Abdulaziz, may Allah bestow mercy on him, and His Excellency Mr. Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, former President of France, and culminated in a major project during the presidency of His Excellency Mr. François Mitterrand. At that time, Mr. Jack Lang, then Minister of Culture and now President of the Institute, selected its headquarters in a distinctive location at the heart of the French capital, in the Latin Quarter, where civilizational, intellectual, and historical currents converge.

For over thirty years, the Institute has been distinguished by its remarkable contributions, hosting the most comprehensive and extensive library of the Arab world in the West. It has organized numerous conferences, forums, and exhibitions, and published a wide range of research and academic studies, while also modernizing methods of teaching the Arabic language. It has played an effective role in providing the Western world with insights into the Arab and Islamic world, its history, heritage, civilization, culture, creativity, and current realities. 

The organization also works to foster cultural exchange between East and West.

At the meeting H.E. and Mr Jack Lang discussed several topics related to the Institute’s role in promoting understanding and cooperation between cultures, and in confronting the practices of civilizational clashes, an effort that aligns with one of the key initiatives of the MWL in support of the Islamic call for peace.

His Excellency Dr. Al-Issa underscored that the Muslim World League launched an initiative for Building Bridges between East and West at the United Nations headquarters in New York, in the presence of leaders of the international organization. He emphasized that Muslims have, throughout their long history, engaged in meaningful conversations and cultural exchange with people from both the East and West.