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Scholars Gather in UAE to Defend Islam Against Distortions
Dozens of Islamic scholars have gathered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to defend their religion against accusations of fostering terrorism and to denounce groups of co-religionist fanatics distorting the image of Islam. The six-day conference, hosted by the emirate of Abu Dhabi under the theme of "prophetic guidance in missionary work", attracted an audience exceeding 500 people, with women accounting for more than a third. The head of the organizing committee spoke of the "deviant group", a term used to refer to Islamist militants, saying "it distorted the image of Islam ... (as it) persisted in destroying and killing."It became a must that Islamic scholars should come forward to make clear that Islam has nothing to do with that (killing)," UAE Assistant Undersecretary of Islamic Affairs Hamdan Al-Mazruwei told the opening session Monday night. In the presence of two Christian clerics, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mohammed Sayed Tantawi said "we are required, as Muslims, to shake hands with whomever extends a hand to us in peace ... regardless of whether this person is a Muslim or not." "There is no coercion in religion," Tantawi said, citing the Qur'an. "Forcing people into belief does not bring (new) honest Muslims, but rather hypocritical liars," he said. Posted by: Fred 2004-10-27 |
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