DAKAR: The Muslim World League (MWL) has launched a raft of urgently needed relief projects — including medical facilities — in Senegal. Dr. Mohammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, the MWL secretary-general, explained that the organization has distributed more than 1,500 food baskets in Malika, on the outskirts of Dakar, and truckloads of food aid to Kolda —  the site of a recent fire. Al-Issa said that the MWL’s cataract-treatment program at a Dakar hospital has so far treated hundreds of poor patients, while in Tiyas, the secretary-general laid the cornerstone for the Al-Afiah model dispensary, which will reportedly be the first of its kind in the region and will serve thousands of people in the city and surrounding villages. Al-Issa also gave the green light to resume construction of the Dar Al-Hikma Center for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Tiyas. In a speech toward the end of his tour of Senegal, Al-Issa stressed that Islam dictates that its followers offer aid and services to those in need regardless of their nationality, race or culture. Recently, Senegalese President Macky Sall honored Al-Issa for his work in promoting moderation and religious and intercultural cooperation around the world. Sall expressed his gratitude for Al-Issa’s visit, which included staging the MWL’s international conference, and stressed how much his government values the MWL’s programs in Africa. “What the MWL is doing around the world, particularly in Africa, is an Islamic and humanitarian duty dictated by the values of our noble faith,” Al-Issa said.