Jeddah, KSA, 14.06.2014 - The Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the government of Pakistan and members of the International Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) on Polio Eradication are organizing an International Ulama (Islamic Scholars) Conference in Pakistan during 15 -16 June 2014.

The aim of the conference is to discuss the Islamic position on vaccination, and how to address the challenges of polio eradication in Pakistan and other polio endemic countries. The Conference will take place on 15-16 June in Islamabad.

The IAG comprises the IDB, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, and the International Fiqh Academy (IFA), which is a body of Islamic Scholars working together to issue verdicts on various issues affecting the lives of Muslims around the World.

Among the invited speakers and participants to the conference are Islamic scholars from Pakistan, Somalia and Nigeria, three countries where polio remains endemic.

“The International Ulama Conference on Polio Eradication is an effort from the Muslim Ummah to expedite and successfully achieve the Global Goal of Eradicating Polio by the end of 2015”. “I am happy that reputable Muslim organizations like the OIC, Al-Azhar University, the IFA in partnership with IDB have come together to address this issue”, said Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, the President of IDB. He added that the Ulama Conference is an excellent platform for the Islamic Scholars, Muslim healthcare
professionals and policy makers to come together and find a common ground on how to eradicate Polio from the remaining Polio endemic countries.

The President of IDB thanked the Government of Pakistan for its support in organizing the conference.