World

MWL New York conference calls for creating Muslim-US Forum for Civilizational Interaction

September 18, 2017



Saudi Gazette report

NEW YORK
– An international conference, organized by the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL), concluded here on Monday with a call to establish Islamic-American Forum for Civilizational Interaction.

The forum will promote intellectual, cultural and scientific communication between Muslims and the American people, deepen the cultural ties between the two sides, and develop a comprehensive and integrated strategic plan for coordination between organizations, centers, universities and media institutions to counter extremist ideology and protect societies from its effects and consequences, they said in a statement.

The two-day event, with the theme of ‘Civilizational interaction between US and the Islamic world’ stressed the need for enhanced Islamic-US ties for fostering peaceful coexistence among the world communities. As many as 450 scholars, academics, researchers, and thinkers representing 56 states as well as Islamic and US intellectual and cultural institutions participated in the conference.

The conference adopted several recommendations, including the one that stressed the importance of promoting a culture of Islamic and Western peaceful coexistence, encouraging research and studies that establish the principle of effective communication, highlighting its importance to both sides, publishing and translating books, avoiding the calls for the clash of civilizations and warning against the phenomenon of Islamophobia.

The conference stressed that the civilization of Islam and its pioneering historical experiment confirms the openness of Muslims to other civilizations, their keenness to communicate with the peoples of the world, and support and promote global peace initiatives. It also noted that the Muslims today are interested in having philanthropic contributions in economic, intellectual, cultural, social, scientific and other fields.

The delegates praised the plans of civilizational cooperation between the Islamic world and the United States and supported the establishment of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology or I’tidal, which was launched by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, in the presence of US President Donald Trump and a number of Arab and Muslim leaders during the Islamic-American Summit held in Riyadh in May. They expressed their appreciation of the center and its high competencies and advanced technologies that will be employed in combating extremism with the latest means and devices in the intellectual, media and digital realms.

The participants pointed out that the religious and cultural diversity in human societies calls for the establishment of a fair partnership and positive communication within a social contract agreed upon by all, which invests multiple visions in enriching civil and civilized life and achieving comprehensive development. “The meaningful and serious dialogue between the Islamic world and the United States is indispensable to understand the real message of Islam, at a time when extremism attempts to hijack and falsify the meaning of its basics, so as to address the calls for hatred, and save the world from violence and extremism,” they said and stressed that civilizational communication and direct dialogue between various segments of the society is essential to know others in the real sense away from misleading propaganda and misconceptions that create discord and hatred.

While emphasizing that the concept of fair partnership in investing the achievements of human civilization, the delegates called on MWL to cooperate with the US associations, organizations and universities to implement joint programs aimed at achieving positive communication between the Islamic civilization and the American civilization, and developing interrelationships that take into account common interests and address the problems of contemporary societies.

The conference highlighted the importance of developing a long-term strategy to activate cultural communication, promote tolerance and equality among peoples, cooperate in promoting sustainable development programs, and provide a secure, stable and prosperous environment that protects young people from extremist ideas, and intensifies Islamic interactions with other civilizations.

The recommendations of the meeting stressed the importance of closer ties and cooperation between the Islamic organizations in the US and the official and popular bodies in the Islamic world in all fields, while making active international efforts to achieve human dignity and preserve rights, achieve justice and peaceful coexistence among human societies.

Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, Head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Sheik Abdulrahman Al-Sudais and a number of prominent figures from the Muslim World attended the conference.

In his speech, MWL Secretary General Al-Issa highlighted the historic interaction between the Muslim World and the United States through humanitarian, educational, economic and political cooperation.

He said this conference aims to highlight diversity and the need for coexistence and cooperation to serve mutual interests and the service of humanity as a whole and to promote social peace and intellectual security and defeat evil.

OIC Chief Al-Othaimeen called to address Islamophobia, racism and xenophobia by adopting a comprehensive approach for dialogue between American and Islamic peoples, stressing the importance of focusing on common factors between the two nations to establish a beneficial dialogue for the both sides.

The conference discussed a number of topics, including “The cultural contributions between the United States and the Islamic World: the reality and aspirations”; “Islam’s contribution to the promotion of world peace”; “Muslims in the United States: integration and citizenship”; “The interrelationship between the United States and the Islamic world”; and “Mutual exchange between the United States and the Islamic world.”


September 18, 2017
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