By Shams Ahsan
Saudi Gazette
MAKKAH — As Muslims seek the Night of Power in the last 10 nights of the holy month of Ramadan, their leaders will display the power of unity against sectarian and divisive forces when they gather in the vicinity of the Holy Kaaba on Thursday and Friday for three crucial summits.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman invited Arab and Gulf leaders for summits in Makkah on Thursday in the wake of the sabotage of oil tankers in the territorial waters of the UAE and explosive-laden drone attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militias on two Saudi oil-pumping stations.
The Arab and Gulf summits will be followed by the 14th Islamic summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries titled “Makkah Summit: Together for the Future”.
The three summits in the place most sacred for all Muslims and at the invitation of King Salman prove the pivotal role the Kingdom plays for the safety and unity of the Ummah.
The ground for these summits was prepared on Monday when Islamic scholars, muftis, intellectuals, thinkers, and senior officials from around the world gathered in Makkah to discuss values of moderation as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah.
In an address to the conference, King Salman reiterated the values of moderation and denounced all forms of extremism, violence and terrorism which the Kingdom confronts with thought, determination and decisiveness.
The King called for stopping the rhetoric of racism and hate regardless of its source.
The holy city of Makkah is ready to receive Islamic heads of state and other dignitaries. Flags of participating countries are lining the main streets of the city.
Elaborate traffic arrangements are in place. Text messages are being sent to citizens and residents alerting them about new traffic arrangements.
Given the importance of these summits, an unprecedented global media attention is focused on the developments from Makkah. Some 390 international journalists and media representatives and 59 TV channels are expected to cover the summits.
Minister of Media Turki Al-Shabanah, who is personally following up the preparations, has assigned 13 teams to facilitate global media coverage of the events.
