Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh headed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the 33rd International Conference of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, which kicked off Saturday in Cairo, entitled “Ijtihad is the necessity of the era.” The conference is organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Endowments with the participation of the Ministers of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Muftis, and heads of Islamic institutions, universities, and Islamic societies from 90 countries. In the opening session, Dr. Al-Sheikh stressed the constants of Saudi Arabia in confronting terrorism, and extremism, and spreading moderation, and tolerance that was commanded by the true Islamic religion. He noted that the world is going through difficult times, which put scholars in front of huge responsibilities, which require exerting collective and institutional efforts to link people to religion. The minister reviewed the efforts made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince in the service of Islam and Muslims, based on the principles of religion and compassion, and efforts to immunize Islam against extremists and fanatics who distort its pure image. The Kingdom"s delegation participating in the 33rd International Conference of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs included the Undersecretary for Islamic Affairs, Awwad Bin Sabti Al-Enezi, and Acting Advisor for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahid Al-Arifi. The two-day conference will discuss important themes, including ijtihad, an urgent necessity in the present era, images and controls of ijtihad, mujtahids and their preparation, as well as a review of selected models of institutional ijtihad, as well as modern models in the economic, medical and environmental fields, such as harming the environment from the Shariah perspective. Dr. Al-Sheikh, Dr. Jumma review issues of common interest Later, Dr. Al-Sheikh met with Egyptian Minister of Endowments Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Jumaa on the sidelines of the 33rd International Conference of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in the presence of Saudi Ambassador Osama Bin Ahmed Nuqali. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed a number of issues of common interest in the Islamic field, serving Islamic work in accordance with the approach of moderation, combating hate speech, and confronting extremism. The Egyptian minister stressed that Saudi Arabia is the pioneer of the Islamic world and its efforts in serving the Two Holy Mosques are appreciated by Muslims all over the world, noting the distinction of the Kingdom’s participation in the conference, which he described as a scientific and intellectual addition. — SPA