Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) Sheikh Muhammad Al-Essa met with a delegation of the Evangelical community from the United States of America in Jeddah on Wednesday. The two sides discussed ways to promote coexistence and harmony around the world.

In a joint statement, the two sides reaffirmed their common values and pledged to strengthen cooperation in achieving them. They also stressed the need to renounce all forms of extremism and hatred and work together to build bridges of cooperation among peoples of all religions and cultures.

In the statement, both sides expressed their conviction that respect for common values can bring people together and prevent their division, and that differences between people should be a catalyst for cooperation and not for communal clash.

The two sides commended the contents of the historic Makkah Document, which was adopted by the international conference, organized by MWL during this summer and that brought together more than 1,200 prominent Islamic scholars from around the world.

They stressed the need to build bridges of cooperation, coexistence and love for all peoples, while stressing the importance of dialogue as the most effective tool to build rapport with others with identifying common bonds.

Both sides also agreed to promote respect for religions and mutual trust, and pledged to seek to overcome the obstacles of coexistence and to end violence between human beings through the power of education and the promotion of religious harmony and cultural, ethnic and national integration.

They recognized that the family is the nucleus of building society, and that it is entrusted to nurture the future of new generations to emerge on the values of moderation, love and respect for others.

The statement also stressed the importance of places of worship around the world and the need to prosecute those who attack these centers of peace, and agreed to establish and encourage initiatives and programs to combat hunger, poverty and disease.

Recognizing the right to personal freedom, they said, it did not imply prolonged abuse of others, in particular towards persons on the basis of their religion, culture or ethnicity.