NPO Japan Halal Association

Report on Attendance and Speech at International Conference of Religious Leaders 2024 and Majilis Ulama Asia 2024

• International Conference of Religious Leaders 2024
• Majilis Ulama Asia 2024

Date and Time: 2024/5/7-8 8:30-18:00

Location: ① Sunway resort hotel ② Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Organizer: Muslim World League/ Jakim

On May 7 and 8, 2024, “International Conference of Religious Leaders 2024” and “Majilis Ulama Asia 2024” were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and our chairperson Remon attended and gave a lecture.

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Day 1 of the International Conference of Religious Leaders 2024 was opened by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Bin Ibrahim and Muslim World League President Mohammad Bin Abdul Karial Al Issa. Minister of Religious Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia, and Dr. Hakima binti Mohd Yusoff, Director of JAKIM, Ministry of Religious Affairs of Malaysia.

This year’s event was a follow-up to last year’s “International Ulama Conference,” but was renamed the “International Conference of Religious Leaders 2024” under the theme of diversity. In addition to Islamic scholars from various countries, representatives from Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, and other religions participated in the conference. The title of the conference was “Unity in Diversity,” and the participants discussed the harmony of each religion and Islam, as well as the harmony of Islam with the world.

The Malaysian Prime Minister expressed his strong opposition to the Israeli military invasion of Gaza, saying, “We must never oppress others, no matter what religion they are.

Unlike the previous year, this year’s conference included representatives of non-Islamic religions, which deepened the discussion on how, despite differences in religions, we all share the same desire for peace and how harmony can be maintained through mutual respect.

As a representative of Japan, She was asked to give a speech, but since She is neither a scholar nor a religious representative, She cited the news of the destruction of Jizo statues by Muslims in the past as an example of my own experience in Japan. The key to mutual understanding is not to look for differences, but to look for similarities. As a non-Muslim living in a non-Muslim country, she also introduced the importance of dispelling the image of radical Islam and conveying the truth, as well as the severity and weight of responsibility that each Muslim must always act as a representative of the Muslim community.

After the session, many people expressed their sympathies and asked her to introduce their experiences to the Australian audience.

On the second day, the venue was moved to a separate conference, “Majilis Ulama Asia 2024,” which was held exclusively for Muslim scholars.

The conference was hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, and the President of the Muslim World League, and unlike the previous day, it focused on Muslims.

The President of the Muslim World League presented examples of how Islam is being used for political purposes and to gain some power, and stated that Muslims should not be fighting each other, nor should they give each other room to fight. He pointed out that if the ulama and others participating in this conference do not educate Muslims in their own countries, who will? The future direction of the conference is to “make it a forum for discussing Shari’ah and other issues required by the changing times in the world” and so on.

The conference attracted a great deal of attention because it was hosted by the prime minister, and was reported daily in the local press.

Throughout the two days, the conference focused on contemporary issues such as “promotion of mutual understanding between different religions” and “how Muslims should deal with religions that are being used for political purposes. It was very meaningful to hear their opinions from their respective standpoints as “a leader of a country,” “a representative of a country that manages Islamic holy sites,” “a representative of Islamic scholars from various countries,” “a representative of other religious organizations,” and “a Muslim. Furthermore, if we are to make use of this opportunity in the future, we must consider what we should do.

We would like to continue to cooperate with the Malaysian Ministry of Religious Affairs (JAKIM) and hold discussions as part of the “infrastructure development for Muslims” in Japan, and continue to find out what we can do to play a role as a bridge between Japan and Malaysia.

Hitomi Remon

News link of the day:

Video:

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=majilis+ulama+Asia+2024&mid=F472C1BF98082F28F0D1F472C1BF98082F28F0D1&FORM=VIRE

https://malaysiagazette.com/2024/05/08/zahid-hamidi-di-persidangan-majlis-ulama-asia-2024/