MAKKAH, 11 April — Scholars who met in the holy city of Makkah over the past three days reminded the leaders of Muslim countries that it is their duty to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem from occupation, and called on them to stand firmly against Israel’s declaration of the holy city as its “eternal capital”.
The scholars denounced Israel’s crimes in Palestine and condemned the settlement of Jewish immigrants in the occupied land, and called for the strict enforcement of United Nations resolutions.
They also called for a clear distinction to be made between terrorism and liberation struggles enshrined in international law. The participants called for an international conference to define terrorism and rejected attempts to link Islam and Muslim organizations with terrorism as a last recourse by Zionists and their supporters.
The Muslim World League, a non-profit non-governmental pan-Islamic body representing Muslim peoples, organizations and minorities across the world, hosted the international conference. Scholars, preachers, academics and intellectuals from all over the world discussed the impact of globalization on Muslim communities, terrorism and the response to anti-Muslim campaigns.
The conference’s final statement said Islam as a universal religion is the substitute for globalization and Islamic Shariah represents the guarantee against chaos in international relations.
In a strong response to calls by Western powers for changes to the education system in Muslim countries, the conference stressed that curricula should be based on Shariah and be capable of addressing contemporary problems facing the Muslim world. It called for building more Islamic education institutions and further consolidating the role of mosques
Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah Al-Sheikh, who chairs MWL’s constituent assembly, said the Kingdom will continue its leading role in defending Islam and Muslim causes.
The conference called for supporting Muslims in India, Kashmir, Myanmar, the Balkans and other places. It issued the “Makkah Charter for Islamic Action”, which stressed the resolve to confront the systematic smear campaigns against Islam.
The charter said Islam is the religion of moderation that preaches tolerance, compassion and love and it stands against all forms of extremism. The state of constant tension on the international scene is the result of the desire to dominate, exploit and suppress peoples’ aspirations for independence as is clearly evident from the brutal Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people. It said despite the threats looming over the land of Islam, more and more people are embracing the religion, while more still want to know about it.
MWL Secretary-General Dr. Abdullah ibn Abdul Mohsen Al-Turki said the world would experience more misery in future as a result of materialism which has been turned into a tool for globalization.
The conference decided to set up a higher authority and an international forum based in Makkah to coordinate the activities of Muslim organizations.
