Jeddah - The unity of the Islamic nation is the prime objective of a major international conference to be held in Makkah from Aug. 6 to 8. Some 300 Islamic scholars from different parts of the world will attend the conference which has been organized by the Muslim World League (MWL).
"The conference will focus on practical aspects to achieve cultural, political and economic unity among Muslim countries and peoples," said MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki after a consultative planning meeting.
The conference will discuss prospects of setting up a defense force within the framework of the United Nations Charter to confront foreign aggression. It will also call for an international Islamic court of justice to settle disputes among Muslim countries and organizations.
According to an MWL statement, the conference will emphasize the need to strengthen economic and commercial ties among the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference by promoting free trade and establishing an Islamic common market. It will also stress the importance of Islamic solidarity to solve many of the problems facing the Muslim world.
The two-day consultative meeting which ended at MWL headquarters in Makkah yesterday brought together leaders of various Islamic organizations to achieve a consensus on topics for debate at the conference. Those attended the meeting included Ezzuddin Ibrahim, adviser to the UAE president, Khaled Al-Madkur, chairman of the committee for the implementation of Shariah in Kuwait, and Kamil Sharief, secretary-general of the Cairo-based World Islamic Council for Dawa and Relief.
The conference, under the patronage of Crown Prince Abdullah, is entitled "The Unity of the Islamic Nation" and has been organized in response to a resolution taken by the OIC summit in Malaysia in October 2003, Al-Turki said.
"Unity is one of the basic important factors required for the progress of the Islamic nation," Al-Turki said, adding that the Holy Qur'an and Hadith have emphasized the importance of unity and solidarity among Muslims. "In the past, unity not only strengthened Muslims but also helped them make tremendous contributions to world progress," he explained.
The discussions at the conference will be centered on five main topics. First, the concept of Islamic unity as described by the Qur'an and Sunnah. Second, Islamic unity in history (during the time of the Prophet (pbuh) and in different ages. Third, the significance of unity in protecting identity, confronting challenges and unifying religious edicts. It will also underline the responsibilities of governments, scholars and Islamic organizations in fostering unity. Fourth, the obstacles facing Islamic unity and ways to overcome them. Fifth, practical programs to achieve unity. This includes setting up a defense force, the Islamic common market and the Islamic court of justice.
The recommendations of the conference will be passed to the emergency Islamic summit to be held in Makkah, Al-Turki said. The conference will also witness the meetings of the Supreme Council for Mosques, the Islamic Fiqh Council and the Higher Commission for Islamic Organizations.
By P.K. Abdul Ghafour
© Arab News 2005
