Secretary-General of the Fatwa and Sharia Affairs Commission Attends the 11th International Fatwa Conference in Cairo and Meets Senior Religious Leaders
Cairo - 2-3 September 2026
Dr Faid Mohammed Said, Secretary-General of the Fatwa and Sharia Affairs Commission and Imam and Khateeb at the Islamic Cultural Centre and London Central Mosque, participated in the 11th International Fatwa Conference, organised by Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta and the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide.
Held in Cairo on 2–3 September 2026 under the patronage of
H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the conference brought together muftis, ministers, scholars and religious leaders from around 80 countries under the theme, “Family Challenges Amid Major Transformations: Fatwa-Based Approaches.”
Prof. Dr Said attended the conference at the kind invitation of
H.E. Prof. Dr Nazir Mohamed Ayyad, Grand Mufti of Egypt and President of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide.
On the sidelines of the conference, Prof. Dr Said met with the Grand Mufti of Egypt and conveyed to him the warm greetings of the Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre in London. Their discussions explored opportunities to strengthen scholarly and institutional cooperation between the Fatwa and Sharia Affairs Commission in London and Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, one of the Muslim world’s most distinguished and longstanding institutions of Islamic scholarship and fatwa.
During the conference, Prof. Dr Said also held a number of valuable meetings with prominent scholars, muftis and religious leaders, including
H.E. Prof. Dr Osama Al-Azhari, Egypt’s Minister of Awqaf;
H.E. Dr Mohammad Abu Al-Khair Shukri, Minister of Awqaf of the Syrian Arab Republic; and
H.E. Sheikh Abdullatif Derian, Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic.
He also met
Dr Aziz Hasanović, Grand Mufti of Croatia, as well as senior Islamic leaders from the Balkans and Europe. Their discussions focused particularly on the circumstances and needs of Muslim communities across Europe and the importance of strengthening cooperation between European Muslim institutions and leading centres of Islamic scholarship and fatwa in the Muslim world.
A particularly significant moment during the visit was Prof. Dr Said’s meeting with His Eminence the Grand Imam,
Prof. Dr Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar. Prof. Dr Said expressed his deep appreciation for Al-Azhar’s historic role in serving Islam and Muslims, promoting moderation and balance, and advancing dialogue, peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding across faiths and cultures.
Prof. Dr Said emphasised that these meetings provide valuable opportunities to deepen ties between Muslim institutions in Britain and Europe and leading religious institutions across Egypt and the wider Muslim world. He highlighted in particular the importance of greater cooperation in the fields of fatwa, the training and development of imams and religious leaders, addressing emerging contemporary issues, and serving Muslim communities in Europe through an approach that combines fidelity to the Islamic scholarly tradition with a clear understanding of contemporary realities.
