Pakistani media is reporting that Bosnian Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric will deliver the keynote address on Saturday at the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan (IIUP). According to one report:
As part of the Karvaan-e-Amn campaign for peace in Pakistan built on Islamic concepts of justice and tolerance, Reis ul Ulema and Grand Mufti of Bosnia, Dr. Mustafa Ceric, will be arriving in Pakistan on February 20th for a two-day visit. Grand Mufti Ceric, Europes leading Islamic authority, was instrumental in providing spiritual and moral guidance to Bosnian Muslims as they fought to defend their lives while preserving their attachment to Islamic concepts of tolerance and coexistence. Pakistan and its people are fondly remembered by Bosnian Muslims as staunch supporters during their hour of need. And now, the violence in Pakistan perpetrated by Muslims against their brothers praying in mosques or holding processions is a cause of deep concern and anguish to the Muslims of Bosnia and Europe. Karvaan-e-Amn, a collection of Pakistani and international Islamic scholars, organisations and individuals, has arranged the Grand Muftis visit as part of a campaign to build bridges in support of the people of Pakistan. In a recent letter published in national dailies, Dr Mustafa Ceric called for peace between Muslims; he condemned suicide bombings and the heinous killing of civilians. The visit will build on this expression of Islamic solidarity. On Saturday February 20, the Grand Mufti will deliver a keynote address at the Islamic International Universitys auditorium in the Faisal mosque campus to a gathering of high-profile religious and cultural figures. The event will begin at 11.30am and focus on the theme of Islam u A Religion to Live For. During his visit, the grand Mufti will also meet with Pakistani religious scholars and hold consultations with Pakistani officials.
There are known to be important connections between the IIUP, established in 1980, and the global Muslim Brotherhood. For example, former Al-Taqwa Bank board member Ahmed Nasreddin was involved in establishing business entities in Liechtenstein and Lugano which helped fund the International Islamic University trust in Mauren, Liechtenstein. Through this trust, wealthy Arabs supported the IIUP. In addition, many of the known visiting faculty at the Dawa Academy, located at IIUP, are associated with the global Brotherhood including:
- Abidullah Ghazi (U.S.A.)
- Ahmad Totonji (U.S.A.)
- Ahmad Von Denffer (Germany)
- Jamal Badawi (Canada)
A post from October 2009 reported on twin suicide bombings at the IIUP.
Considered by some to be a leading “liberal” Islamic leader, Mustafa Ceric is tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood through his membership in the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), headed by Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and by his participation in the U.K.-based “Radical Middle Way” consisting of a wide range of associated scholars representing the global Muslim Brotherhood. Several earlier posts have discussed Dr. Ceric’s increasing visibility and importance within the global Muslim Brotherhood, noting that Ceric sees himself as a possible future leader of a “European Islam.” Dr. Ceric recently compared the Iranian Revolution with the French Revolution and Iranian media reported that Dr. Ceric recently told former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a meeting that he considers Iran a “good friend” of his country.” A post from October 2009 discussed his visit to the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), an important part of the U.S. and global Muslim Brotherhood.