Dr. Ibrahim Negm, Secretary-General of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, announced the early preparations for the Tenth International Conference on Fatwa, set to take place on August 12–13 under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The event has attracted wide interest, with confirmed participation from scholars, muftis, and experts representing all five continents.

This year’s conference is held under the theme: “The Making of the Competent Mufti in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” reflecting the urgent need to address the profound digital transformations reshaping the world. At its core, the conference poses a critical question: How can the credibility and authority of the mufti be preserved amid the rise of unqualified digital platforms that disseminate religious content without scholarly grounding or institutional oversight?

Dr. Negm also warned of the dangers posed by random and unqualified fatwas circulating in the digital space, which distort Islamic teachings and strip texts of their intended context. The conference will advocate for the adoption of smart regulatory mechanisms and the development of a credible, timely, and impactful fatwa discourse capable of countering these trends.

He concluded by stressing that the timing of the conference is both critical and strategic, as the world undergoes unprecedented technological shifts. The contemporary mufti, he noted, must combine deep jurisprudential expertise with a nuanced understanding of complex digital realities—ranging from artificial intelligence and digital economies to biotechnology and international relations shaped by emerging technologies.