SAO PAULO: The chairman of the Islamic Call Center in Latin America and the Caribbean states has thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for supporting Islam and Muslims around the world. Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al-Saifi praised Saudi Arabia’s participation, represented by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, in the Brazil-based center’s 33rd annual conference being organized virtually under the title, “the jurisprudential rulings of Muslim minorities related to the coronavirus pandemic.” Thirty-five states were due to take part in the event and Al-Saifi pointed out the importance of “sponsoring wise work that contributes to serving Islam and Muslims, based on the Kingdom’s great status in the hearts of Muslims in the world.” In a statement prior to the opening of the two-day conference on Wednesday, he said: “This year we are challenging all circumstances which the world is going through, and we launch the conference with the participation of scholars, researchers, students, and thinkers from all over the Arab and Muslim world, in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call, and Guidance.” He noted that the meeting would discuss what drove human will in boosting change toward a better future for the world, post-COVID-19. He praised the Kingdom’s decades of generous support for the conference, which had produced positive outcomes appreciated by Latin America’s Muslims.