Muslim World League chief calls for rejection of all forms of extremism

JEDDAH: The Muslim World League (MWL) is using all of its academic and ideological resources to confront the evil forces that threaten the global safety of humanity, according to Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, the organization’s secretary general.
Al-Issa was speaking at a conference on communal safety, organized by the MWL in collaboration with the Jordan based Global Forum for Moderation, and held under the auspices of Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Al-Mulki. The attendees included dozens of political figures, researchers and scholars from 35 countries.
Al-Issa criticized the two extremes the world is witnessing: “The extremism wrongly labeled as Islam, and the opposite extremism known as Islamophobia.” He added that extremists feed off of each other, and benefit from each other’s recklessness.
He reminded the attendees that extremism and terrorism fill a void created by hatred and useless sectarian conflicts, and that the only way out of the cycle is to confirm noble religious values, away from useless rhetoric and narratives.
He added that the Umma will not progress unless we reverse the negative image created by some minorities in non-Muslim countries and decide to confront these countries.
The conference also discussed the disruption of the ideological security, which leads to widespread corruption and exposes Arab and Muslim society to extremist ideological ideas, attacking its strength, unity and future aspirations.
The conference agreed on the importance of looking for a community consensus, a formula that achieves justice and guarantees everybody’s rights in a safe, pluralistic society, calling for the Islamic Umma to move from ideological rhetoric to a real contribution to civilization by promoting moderation, and move from a narrow vision to a holistic one by rearranging priorities and tackling global issues for the good of humanity.
It was highlighted that communal security can only be achieved through concerted efforts between security and religious authorities, coupled with active work among university students and youth organizations to confront extremism through education and empowerment.
They called for enhancing the global approach of Islam toward respecting countries, defending them and protecting them from all dangers, considering that extremists who claim to follow Islam should not justify Islamophobia.
The conference called for abiding by the true principles of Islam, interpreting them in a way that is clear to everyone, by contributing actively to building a civilized humane society, taking into consideration religious and cultural diversity, and striving to achieve social justice and enhance national unity, in collaboration with all the other components to achieve a society of justice, peace and compassion.