Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, considers interfaith partnerships a “religious and moral duty,” a commitment that has only deepened as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

“The need for interfaith partnership will continue beyond this crisis,” Issa wrote in an exclusive email interview with Al-Monitor. “And that is why we continue to work hard to build more bridges of understanding and cooperation, and to remove the artificial fences created by detachment from each other, and exacerbated by the lack of substantive dialogue in the past.”

Issa, who is Saudi and based in Mecca, has been a leader and champion of interfaith dialogue. In January, he headed the most senior Islamic delegation to visit Auschwitz to participate in the 75th anniversary of the death camp’s liberation. In 2017, he met with Pope Francis and forged the first cooperative agreement between the Muslim World League and the Vatican.

“Throughout this global health crisis, we in the Muslim World League have provided significant humanitarian assistance to Muslim and non-Muslim countries,” Issa said. “So we try to lead by example, and show that we are all in this together, and we should be extending the bridges of support and assistance to all in need.”