Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has called for an emergency Islamic summit in Makkah on Aug. 14-15 to address major issues facing the Islamic world, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said yesterday.
Prince Saud said such a summit was essential to strengthen Muslim unity and serve the interests of Islam and Muslims.
He added: “We hope the summit will realize the hopes and aspirations of the Ummah.”
King Abdullah also ordered a major fundraising program for Syrians to alleviate their suffering. The program will begin today and cover all regions of the Kingdom.
The Interior Ministry urged all citizens to contribute generously to the fund during the holy month.
Saudi Television will start receiving calls for donations from 11 p.m. today until 3 a.m., Abdul Rahman Al-Hazza, spokesman of the Culture and Information Ministry said.
Donations in kind will be received at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium and other places set by the governorates of regions.
King Abdullah has started sending invitations to heads of state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries to attend the summit.
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa said he would attend the conference.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met with Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi in Cairo on Saturday and discussed the main issues to be tackled by the Makkah summit.
Ihsanoglu congratulated Mursi on his election success and highlighted Egypt’s role as one of the largest Muslim countries.
He also discussed the Syrian crisis and the situation of Muslims in Myanmar with the Egyptian president.
The Makkah summit is the fourth emergency conference to be convened by OIC since it was formed in 1969.
The third extraordinary OIC Summit was also held in Makkah on Dec. 7-8, 2000 on King Abdullah’s initiative.
It adopted a 10-year action plan to strengthen the 57-member organization, the second largest after the UN.
