RIYADH, 28 March 2004 — The Gulf Cooperation Council states have decided to launch a media campaign to combat terrorism and highlight its evils, the executive director of the Joint Programs Production Establishment has announced.
According to Hashem Al-Shaikh, the campaign will include the production of three documentaries, 30 TV and radio messages in addition to a 15-episode drama. All will call for tolerance and the rejection of extremism and terrorism.
“The campaign calling for tolerance and acceptance of others is being launched because of events that have taken place in the region. It is directed at citizens of the Gulf states,” he said.
The campaign will highlight calls by GCC leaders to confront terrorism in all its forms and to renounce violence. The programs will deal with tolerance in Islam and its teachings, which outlaw terrorism and promote human interaction, he said.
The media drive comes in the wake of bombings in Riyadh last year that killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds. The campaign is also a response to what some see as a US media campaign targeting the Kingdom for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in which 15 of the 19 suspects were Saudis.
During a recent visit to the headquarters of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh called on the organization to promote the message of moderation in Islam. He said WAMY should spread the message of Islam as a religion of peace, tolerance and justice.
The minister also stressed the need for a review of the educational curriculum to ensure that it does not encourage extremism. He said Islam was under siege.
He pointed out that in order to overcome the challenge, it was imperative to maintain unity within the ranks of the Muslim nation. Unfortunately, he said, some deviant elements were sowing dissension in the community and trying to disrupt peace and harmony. This played directly into the hands of the enemies of Islam.
The minister also referred to a European website that has loaded some verses claiming to be from the Holy Qur’an. He said the various OIC authorities should take action against anti-Islamic websites that seek to create confusion in the minds of Muslims.
