By Eric J. Greenberg 

I was honored to meet with the head of the Muslim World League (MWL), His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, and a small delegation of Jewish interfaith leaders to hold an important, open and substantive dialogue grounded in a shared commitment to stand together against antisemitism, extremism and hatred in all its forms.

As Secretary General of the MWL, Sheikh Al-Issa spoke eloquently about his groundbreaking trip to Auschwitz in January 2020 where he led one of the most senior Muslim delegations ever to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Holocaust memorial in Poland to witness firsthand the Hitler’s death camps where nearly 1 million Jewish men, women and children were systematically murdered by the Nazis, many gassed to death, and their bodies burned in ovens. Al-Issa called remembrance of the Holocaust a “sacred duty” and condemned hatred in all forms.

He outlined his continuing efforts to combat antisemitism in the Muslim world, and to bring Muslims and Jews closer together for the benefit of peace in the Middle East and around the globe.

He affirmed the Jewish people’s right to live in their ancient homeland alongside a Palestinian state. He supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, denounced Hamas and the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel and Israel’s response in Gaza.  He noted that MWL denounced the December massacre of Jews in Australia by Muslim terrorists.

The Jewish delegation, led by New York Board of Rabbis Executive Vice President Joseph Potasnik and Rabbi Daniel Kraus of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City, discussed with Sheikh Al-Issa the common denominators Jews and Muslims share, both historically and today, and the need to promote these positive interfaith meetings as a model to the public to be replicated.  

“Given the moment we are living in, this feels both urgent and deeply important.” one rabbi said.

Sheikh Al-Issa is a prominent Saudi Islamic leader and one of the most visible Muslim advocates for interfaith dialogue and cooperation in the world today.

Besides being Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), a major international Islamic organization headquartered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, he also heads affiliated initiatives focused on combating hate, extremism, and promoting peaceful global engagement

Under his leadership, MWL aims at promoting moderate Islam and countering extremism both within Muslim communities and in the wider world.

With regards to interfaith dialogue with the Jewish people, Sheikh Al-Issa has taken part in several notable efforts related to Muslim-Jewish understanding and cooperation.
He has been vocal in condemning antisemitism and Holocaust denial—a stance that is relatively uncommon among senior Muslim clerics—and has emphasized that Jews and Muslims have lived peacefully together for much of history.

He has participated in interfaith events in the United States and Europe alongside Jewish leaders, including speaking engagements at American Jewish institutions and hared panels discussing future cooperation between Jews and Muslims.

Under his leadership, the Muslim World League has signed cooperation agreements with major Jewish organizations focused on mutual respect, protecting places of worship, and promoting common values.

His policies are part of a broader move by some Muslim leaders and institutions to engage in interfaith dialogue—especially between Muslims and Jews, but also Christians and other faiths—to reduce prejudice, promote peace, and build bridges across religious divides.