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Leading Kuwaiti charity marks 25th anniversary, Amir attends ceremony

KUWAIT, May 10 (KUNA) -- Under the auspices of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and in his attendance, the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) celebrated its 25th anniversary in a ceremony Monday at its headquarters, and kicked off its General Assembly session.
His Highness arrived at the venue and was greeted by IICO Chairman Yousef Jassem Al-Hajji and organizers of the event.
His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah also attended the ceremony. Other senior officials in attendance included Sheikhs, Deputy Chief of National Guard Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Shiekh Nasser Al-Mohammad AL-Sabah, Acting Parliament Speaker MP Abdullah Yousef Al-Roumi, First Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Acting Amiri Diwan Affairs Minister Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, and other state officials.
In his opening address, Chairman Al-Hajji said His Highness the Amir's attendance is testimony to his keenness to support charitable work in Kuwait, and also paid tribute to the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and late Father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah who had walked this path before him and supported the organization and its peers in our homeland without fail.
From a mere idea proposed by leading Islamic scholar Yousof Al-Qaradawi, the organization grew into an internationally active and recognized body with projects in over 136 countries. It supports and executed aid and development operations in the fields of humanitarian relief and disaster response, health, education, culture, and more, focusing all the time on sustainable development rather than transient solutions.
The organization always focuses on moderation, and believes it is a central theme and virtue in the Islamic thought system. It is cooperating with many organizations on events with that theme and is organizing an "international forum on moderation and dialogue for peaceful co-existance among peoples", with elite schollars, researchers, and fgures taking part.
The organization's operations abroad coincided with due focus at home, and its strong social responsibility ethics prompted many projects within Kuwait, such as establishment of the health care facility in cooperation with the "Kuwaiti Society against Smoking and Cancer", which is to be inaugurated soon, God willing.
Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Undersecretary Adel Al-Falah also addressed the attendees on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs and Awqaf Minister and Minister of Justice Rashid Al-Hammad. He hailed the non-faltering support of His Highness the Amir to charity work in Kuwait and his directives to assisst the IICO and other charities in all their ventures, whether at home or abroad.
Representing the guests of the IICO, Deputy IICO Chairman Abdullah Omar Naseef expressed gratitude to the Amir for his support of the organization throughout its history, and noted keen effort is being exerted now to upgrade and better organize charitable work in Kuwait to achieve maximum benefit.
He also noted that the success of the IICO was due not only to the care of His Highness the Amir and the Kuwaiti government over 25 years, but also to the constant support and innate Kuwaiti belief in charitable work and good deeds.
This devotion had earned us Kuwaitis the regard and love of many peoples across the globe, and "May the Almighty bless us with the will and wisdom to continue along this path." The organizers also screened a documentary on the IICO's projects and activities over the past 25 years, and His Highness the Amir then honored a number of key donors who supported the organization, receiving a commemorative token of his own afterwards.
His Highness also toured an exhibition which is held on the sidelines of the anniversary ceremony.(end) wsa KUNA 101350 May 10NNNN