MAKKAH, 5 November — Muslim thinkers and scholars wound up a symposium in the holy city of Makkah yesterday by urging the media to "defend the image of Islam" in wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The symposium, "Islam and Contemporary Media", called for the publication of a series of books on Islam in a number of the world’s most common languages.

Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed inaugurated the symposium on Saturday on behalf of Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard.

The symposium urged media establishments to coordinate in their defense of Islam, and declared this to be the duty of every Muslim, a statement from the symposium said.

The Zionist movement has been exploiting the attacks on New York and Washington to "attribute every evil to Islam," it added.

"The symposium calls for dealing with any deviation from the moderate principles of Islam, and guiding people to avert (becoming victim to) religious extremism," the final statement said.

The two-day symposium was organized by the Makkah-based Muslim World League in order to study the image of Islam in contemporary media and the impact of the terror attacks in the US on Muslims worldwide.

In his inaugural address read out by Prince Abdul Majeed, Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, focused on the universality of the message of Islam. He affirmed Riyadh’s efforts to defend Islam against unjust and hostile campaigns.

The crown prince said he hoped that the MWL would spearhead an international campaign for dialogue, coexistence and understanding among various peoples of the world.

Echoing Prince Abdullah’s call, the symposium urged the media in the Islamic world to take the initiative to promote "dialogue between various civilizations and cultures."

"The teachings of Islam strongly forbid killing innocent people, as Islam is the message of Allah to mankind to achieve justice amongst peoples," the statement concluded.

Muslim thinkers also appealed to the Western media to be neutral when dealing with Islamic issues, and to stop their double-standards when it comes to reporting on Israeli terrorism against Palestinians.