OIC-CA International Seminar 2024: Inspiring Future Generations with Educational Awareness

By: Tengku Humaira Tengku Naufal

GOMBAK, 5 MAY 2024: In this two-day-long seminar, around 40 participants joined and exchanged ideas, information, and knowledge to pose solutions to the issues and matters of discussion. With the official title of the seminar being OIC-CA International Seminar 2024 Intercultural Dynamics in South East Asia: Current State, Opportunities and Future Perspectives, its concerns focused on cultivating wisdom, inspiring excellence and shaping the future.

It was held in the Senate Hall, Muhammad Abdul Rauf Building, IIUm Gombak. It ran from the 22nd to the 23rd of April 2024. The seminar was a collaboration between the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS).

There were various participants of different backgrounds and nationalities that attended the seminar including the notable Dr. Lhoucine Rhazoui, Director of Cultural Affairs Department, OIC General Secretariat and the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Malaysia, His Excellency Walid Abu Ali.

The seminar had a diverse range of themes including œAn Approach to Inter-Fatih & Inter-Cultural Harmony in Solving Contemporary Humanitarian Problems, œThe Role of Academics and Intellectuals in Minimising Societal Conflicts and Discords Through Holistic Community Engagement, and, œThe Israeli Cultural Genocide Against the Palestinian Cultural, Religious, Health, Educational and Historical Identity. 

Such a variety in themes allowed speakers to indulge in and explore different types of problems currently affecting world peace and stress the importance of maintaining order through the relevant discussions of the principles of Islam and past as well as present international conflicts. 

With each participation, it is hoped that each person would improve their knowledge and understanding regarding a particular area that is familiar or unfamiliar to the participants by highlighting and pinpointing the key issues.

Upon the emphasis of such issues, it is believed that current or future international disputes will be easily resolved with the exchange of brilliant ideas. The exchange of proposals would be beneficial for the future in general with the increasing awareness. 

With the participants gain or reinforcement of the aforementioned facts and apprehension of so, it is anticipated for them to implement the resolutions in their daily lives and remind others surrounding them regarding such issues with the hope to refine and enhance societal perspectives. 

The seminar also served as an outlet for strengthening international bonds and further deepen personal bonds. By aiming to gather and share such relevant ideas, it is hoped that it would be vividly seen that every person regardless of their background share a similar goal in bettering the world and maintaining peace. 

Building up such bonds is pivotal to encouraging understanding and tolerance, with exchanging the wisdom of different cultures and beliefs and conveying global challenges, it would establish a solid peace and conflict resolution. 

Enabling and stimulating the interaction of people of various cultures will cause less stereotyping and disapprove prejudice. To motivate empathy and understanding, it would do well to collaborate and expose different ways of thinking. 

The offer and support from all kinds of countries and people is absolutely critical in order to create change towards the cause that you are fighting for. Reserving your own ideas to yourself would not do good to society at large, so this was highlighted in the seminar. 

It is hoped that by exchanging these insightful concepts and putting the solutions under discussion into practice, people can not only better themselves but also encourage others to work towards constructive social change. We all hope that as these ideas spread and are reinforced in day-to-day encounters, the world will change to become a more peaceful and sustainable place.

As the seminar came to an end, attendees expressed hopes that raising awareness via education may change society and create a better future for future generations. They reaffirmed their dedication to supporting this cause and giving young people the tools they need to become good change agents in a world that is getting more interconnected by the day.

The OIC-CA International Seminar 2024 set a pattern for cooperative efforts in addressing major global concerns and promoting a more inclusive and sustainable future with its focus on motivating future generations through educational awareness. ***