Dr. ShawqiAllam, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, convened the first closed meeting of the General-Secretariat of Fatwa Offices Worldwide with 25 muftis from different countries to ratify the executive regulations of the General-Secretariat.

Dr. Allamsaid that the General-Secretariat will have a supreme council composed of the founding members and the members who join the General-Secretariat after its establishment. He added that the executive regulationsdefine the functions of the supreme council that include formulating general strategies, ratifying action plans, and overseeing the achievement of the council’s aims.

The executive regulations, which received a unanimous ratification, also defined the tasks the General-Secretariat aims to achieve. Theseincludecoordinating with fatwa offices to develop a moderate, methodological and practical fatwa system; exchanging experiences between member fatwa offices; providing fatwa counsel to fatwa institutions and muftis around the world;and providingscholarly support to Muslim countries and Muslim minorities to assist them in establishing local fatwa offices.

Other functions include setting standards and criteria for the post of a mufti, fatwa issuance methods, promoting fruitful cooperation between fatwa offices worldwide, and building competent muftis.

Dr. Allam said that the Supreme Council of the General-Secretariat of Fatwa Houses will convene once annually. He added that the head of the supreme council may call for extraordinary meetings whenever necessary or in response to a written request submitted by one third of the members.