H.E. Prof. Koutoub Mustapha Sano, the Secretary-General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, affirmed in his address at the opening session of the 10th International Fatwa Conference that cultivating the “righteous mufti” is both a religious obligation and a pressing contemporary necessity to safeguard intellectual security and uphold the higher objectives of Islamic law. He called for a comprehensive review and modernization of religious, social, and human sciences curricula to address the escalating challenges of the modern era—combining the depth of the sciences of revelation with the breadth of human knowledge—and for harnessing the tools of artificial intelligence in the service of religion and humanity.

Dr. Sano also urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, along with all nations and peoples, to take urgent action to end the suffering of the Palestinian people, particularly in besieged Gaza. He underscored that supporting the Palestinians and feeding their hungry is not charity but a binding humanitarian and religious duty, and that defending their just cause is a moral responsibility.