International Islamic Conference says no to fundamentalism
Amman (AsiaNews) In a speech opening the International Islamic Conference in Amman, Jordan's King Abdallah said Muslims must reject every kind of fundamentalism and any act contrary to the Islamic faith such as religious strife.
Speaking before an audience made up of scholars from 35 countries, the monarch stressed conference's importance given today's critical moment in history for Muslim countries like Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Pakistan and others.
He added that "violence and terrorism practised by some groupsand [that] Islam disavowsdo not correspond to its principles" and must be opposed because they are damaging to Islam.
Abdallah also condemned non-Muslims' interference "in Muslims' affairs" and appealed to his fellow Muslims so that they give up all acts that might contradict their faith.
For the Jordanian monarch, Islam favours concord and coexistence with the believers of other religions like Jews and Christians.
In his speech, he urged the Muslim world to become aware of the dangers that surround Islam and work to remove them.
Finally, he said Muslims should recommit themselves to help the world overcome the crisis of values that is undermining it.
The conference that ends on July 7 is tackling several issues: the situation of women in today's Islam, the role of Muslim youth in a changing world, human rights, the dangers that are preventing Islam's development in the world and the ways to present the true face of Islam in the mass media.
Egypt's Mufti Sheikh Ali Jum'a rejected violence because it is Islam's and Muslims' ruin. He reiterated his commitment to peaceful coexistence with the believers of other religions saying that the clash of civilisations is illegitimate.
Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, director general of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), said that his group would continue its action in favour of education, science and culture among the peoples that want peace and concord.
He rejected criticism and generalisations made about Islam which "stain the image of the faith".
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference's Secretary General Akmal al-Din Oghali reiterated his organisation's role in favour of peace.
Speaking to AsiaNews, he said that "Islam was the first religion to preach total equality among the peoples of the earth."
He said that Islam "provides the right foundations for the right form of government, which were eventually distorted by man, not by the religion itself".
In response to a question about the Islamic Conference, he said that "it has begun a process of multidimensional reform, promoting a climate of dialogue that is just, fair, peaceful and lasting, that can resolve conflicts and neutralise religious fundamentalism".
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