Specialized Seminars

• The Academy held three seminars,
• The first around Fiqh economic matters.
• The second around social issues and
• The third around Fiqh medical topics.

Economic Fiqh Seminar on Currency issues

In implementation of the recommendation issued by the Ninth session of the Council of the Academy, held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) from 1 to 6 Dhul Qa'da 1415 H (1-6 April 1995) which assigned the General Secretariat of the Academy to organise a seminar on " currency issues " and particularly the subject of " The reality of inflation, its forms and effects - the Islamic solution ", it was agreed to hold the said seminar in cooperation with Faysal Islamic Bank of Bahrain, in three workshops : The first in Jeddah, the second in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and the third in Manama (Bahrain).

Seminar on Human Rights

This seminar was held from 8 to 10 Muharram 1417H ( 25 - 27 May, 1996) in Jeddah and its deliberations focused on four pivotal axis:

During this seminar, a number of Muslim Scholars and intellectuals presented a total of sixteen (16) research papers on the above-mentioned topics.

The seminar led to the adoption of important recommendations which emphasised the need to:

- Authenticate human rights and define their sources in the Holy Book, the Prophet's Sunna and the heritage from the Companions and Followers with a view to evidence their precedence and underscore their influence on international covenants.

- Hold seminars among Muslim experts and their Non-Muslim counterparts in order to project human rights in Islam, with the provision that the seminars should coincide with the meeting of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

- Emphasise the importance of the Islamic world's participation, through its representatives and experts in gatherings which address the issue of Human rights, so as to secure a genuine role in the drafting of their texts.

- Calling upon scholars and scientists to devise specific mechanisms for the implementation of Human rights from an Islamic perspective, and to arrange appropriate measures for the follow-up of such matters.

- Invite the Organization of the Islamic Conference to consider issuing annexes to the Cairo Declaration which was adopted at the 19th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in 1990.

- Condemn anti-human rights practices inflicted upon Muslims and others, taking into consideration the Islamic principles based on enjoining good deeds and forbidding evil action and banning injustice in all forms.

- On the other hand, the agenda of this seminar provided for the study of the recommendations of the seminar of experts on "Women's role in the development of Muslim society" organised by the OIC in Tehran (Islamic Republic of Iran), from 17 to 19 Dhul Qa'da 1415 H (17-19 April 1995).

- The General Secretariat of the Academy has established a committee from members of the Fatwa section, to examine these recommendations and to introduce necessary amendments in order to submit the amended text to the 10th session of the Council during its sitting of 28 Safar 1418 H (3 July 1997), in Jeddah.

The Medical Fiqh Seminar on " Islamic Approach of some Health Issues"

- This seminar was held from 8 to 11 Safar 1418 H (14 - 17 June 1997) in Casablanca (Kingdom of Morocco) under the high patronage of His Majesty King Hassan II -May Allah grant him support- and with the participation of King Hassan II Institution for scientific and medical research on Ramadan, the Islamic Organisation of Medical Sciences of Kuwait, the Islamic Education, Science and Culture Organisation (ISESCO) (Rabat - Morocco), the Islamic Fiqh Academy (Jeddah -Saudi Arabia) and the Regional Office of the World Health Organisation. The Seminar's deliberations pivoted around three topics:

- The medical and Fiqh aspects of each of these issues were reviewed and thoroughly discussed, and recommendations were adopted in their respect and submitted to the tenth session of the Academy's Council.

The Medical Fiqh Seminar on " Genetic Engineering and Genetic treatment, in the Islamic point of view"

Preparations for this seminar are underway. It is scheduled to be held in cooperation with the Islamic Organization of Medical Sciences of Kuweit. Conclusions of this seminar will be submitted to the Eleventh session of the Council of the Academy.

The Economic Shari'a Committee

The General Secretariat of the Academy, in agreement and coordination with the Islamic Development Bank, has set up a special committee for financial and economic matters, which was to be comprised of a selection of Shari'a scholars and economic and financial experts, to examine developing issues in the field of economic and financial transactions. This Committee's mission was to undertake a thorough and indepth examination of these issues and submit the results of its work to the Council of the Academy for the adoption of an appropriate Shari'a decision thereon.

The Committee has held a series of meetings, including:

• Compensation for prejudice resulting from late settlement of dues.
• Purchase of equipment or any other assets on the basis of a forward- agreement with the selling party for their leasing out to him.
• Shari'a ruling on the adjustment of an outstanding balance due from a debtor for the benefit of a creditor in case of inflation.
• Islamic Shari'a's stand concerning the indexation of loans to price levels.