NEW YORK — The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars Dr. Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa witnessed the signing of a partnership agreement by the MWL and the launch of the "International Religions Laboratory" with Columbia University.

The deal and the launch was in New York City in the presence of university leaders and Cardinal of the Great Cathedral in New York Timothy Dolan, Chief Rabbi Arthur Schneier, and members of the US Congress.

The "International Religions Laboratory" aims to build capabilities against the concepts of hatred, violence and civilizational clash, and it will be a global platform for research and training in protecting societies from all forms of hatred.

In his speech, Dr. Al-Issa expressed his happiness at Columbia University hosting the lab project, to address forms of hatred, racism and violence around the world, through multiple tools.

He reiterated that the foremost tools in this project are research and training, indicating that the problems of the world today can be summed up in the absence of agreed common values, which leads to the absence of logic, justice and reason.

He warned that the world is threatened by the spread of hatred and racism, so it is important to contribute to creating a world of more understanding, cooperation and peace, and national societies that are more coexistent and harmonious. — SPA