The Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award ‎for Medical Sciences participated in the 13th International Conference of ‎the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences. With emphasis on the ‎topics of STDs and their risks and prevention from an Islamic ‎perspective, the conference was held under the generous patronage of ‎H.H. the Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al Ahmed Al Subah and ‎organized by the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences.‎

The conference activities took place in Kuwait, in the presence of His ‎Excellency Ahmed Al-Awadi, Kuwaiti Minister of Health, His Excellency ‎Muhammad Al-Jarallah, President of the Islamic Organization for ‎Medical Sciences, Dr. Salama Dawoud, President of Al-Azhar University, ‎Dr. Khaled Al-Fadil, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the ‎Advancement of Sciences, Dr. Asad Hafeez, Representative of the World ‎Health Organization in Kuwait, His Excellency Mirza Al-Sayegh and His ‎Excellency Dr. Ahmed Al-Hashemi, Members of the Board of Trustees of ‎the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, ‎and His Excellency Abdullah bin Souqat, Executive Director of the Award.‎

Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi praised the importance of the conference and its ‎convening at a time when many suffer from diseases and epidemics, old ‎and new, as infective viruses float on the surface of the health map. He ‎added that the conference takes it upon itself to study diseases such as ‎AIDS and hepatitis, which affect a quarter of the world’s population, ‎with the aim of confronting and curbing them and promoting the public ‎health of Muslims and all mankind.‎

On his part, Dr. Muhammad Al-Jarallah stated that the Islamic ‎Organization for Medical Sciences, since its inception, has sought to be ‎the Islamic reference in medical sciences, to revive the rich Islamic ‎medical heritage of scholars of Islamic civilization, and to present it in a ‎scientifically documented manner.‎

He also appreciated the role of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum ‎Award for Medical Sciences in continuing to support the organization ‎and its conference.‎

His Excellency Mirza Al-Sayegh stressed that the cooperation between ‎the Award and the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences has ‎authentic roots, mentioning that as a culmination of this cooperation, a ‎Memorandum of Understanding was signed to achieve the desired goals ‎and support the activities of the organization.‎

HE Al-Sayegh also praised the role played by the Islamic Organization for ‎Medical Sciences to improve the health sector in the Islamic world, as it ‎made sublime and creative contributions towards moving the Arab and ‎Islamic nation towards the twenty-first century by enhancing efficiency ‎in the various activities of providing health services.‎

The conference included 6 scientific sessions that discussed many topics, ‎including the epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases in the world ‎with the legal rooting of sexual practices and deviations, defining ‎homosexual intervention strategies to deal with sexual deviations, ‎prevention and health promotion, the role of civil society and the ‎importance of volunteering and forming local partnerships, the rights ‎and duties of people with sexual diseases, media and social media, in ‎addition to two workshops.‎

At the end of the opening ceremony of the conference, gifts and ‎souvenirs were exchanged between the Members of the Award’s Board ‎of Trustees, His Excellency Mirza Al-Sayegh, His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Al-‎Hashemi, His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, the Kuwaiti Minister of ‎Health, and His Excellency Muhammad Al-Jarallah, President of the ‎Organization

The conference concluded its activities with the issuance of the Islamic ‎Document for Promoting Sexual Health, which covers several axes ‎related to sexual diseases. It includes the need for international and ‎political commitment to form international Islamic alliances to promote ‎sexual health, and activate the role of civil society and places of worship ‎in combating perversion and immorality‏.‏