Prof. Ibrahim Al Naimi among the Top Ten Most Influential Islamic Personalities in the World

16 Sep Prof. Ibrahim Al Naimi among the Top Ten Most Influential Islamic Personalities in the World

The Belgium-based International Center for Peace and Development Research (INSPAD) announced on Sunday the 13th of September 2020 that His Excellency, Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Naimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, was chosen among the top ten most influential leading Islamic figures in the world.

The selection committee involved at INSPAD includes five thousand (5,000) ambassadors for peace from various countries of the world, in addition to twelve thousand (12,000) Islamic personalities from around the world. INSPAD hopes to honor the most influential Islamic figures in the mission of peace and dialogue.

According to the report, the list of ten persons selected for the honor includes First Lady of Turkey Amina Ardogan, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad, US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and UK House of Lords member Lord Nazir Ahmed.

In his statement, Dr. Naimi said, commenting on the nomination: “The honor bestowed upon me would not have happened except with the support of the wise leadership of Qatar. Snice 2003, along with the establishment of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) under the generous directives of His Highness, the Father Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, together with the constant patronage of His Highness, Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani affirming the principle of dialogue and the call for peace as an established fundamental principle in the Constitution of the State of Qatar”.

Dr. Naimi also added, “I see this honor firstly as a tribute to Qatar’s leadership and people; a testimony to Qatar for its leadership in the field of rapprochement and coexistence and the call for peace and dialogue. Concerning international peace and security, it is a further testimony that the State of Qatar continues to believe that building nations firstly begins with building human relations. We manifest this through cooperation in order to build a society based on mutual respect and coexistence in harmony regardless of the differences in religions, cultures and ethnicities. This is the first message of DICID that we work on in our international conferences, and in all our external and internal activities.”

Dr. Naimi further adds, “We, as Qataris – including myself – are proud that we have succeeded in a global achievement like this that raises the name of Qatar in international forums, and I pray to God for the continued success of my country and of everyone, and I hope that peace will prevail all over the globe. My thanks goes to my colleagues at the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and its Board of Directors for their efforts that have brought the center to the position it is in today.”

It is worth noting that the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue is the leading institution in Qatar concerned with interfaith and intercultural dialogue, capacity-building in the field of dialogue and a culture for peace. It aims to support and strengthen the culture of interfaith dialogue, peaceful coexistence among adherents of different religions, and the enactment of religious values in order to address issues of concern to humanity.