A summit of leaders of Muslim states will condemn Israel for "war crimes" against Palestinian civilians and reject terrorism as against the teachings of Islam, a draft of a communique to be adopted on Friday said. Wrapping up a two-day meeting in Senegal, the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) also called in the document on wealthy member states to finance a $10 billion solidarity fund aimed at fighting poverty, especially in Africa.After several days of difficult negotiations, the OIC leaders were set to approve a new charter to give a more active role to the Islamic body, which critics say has failed to back up its words with action in the past. The draft Dakar declaration obtained by Reuters called for Iraq's sovereignty and security to be respected. It also expressed concern over what it called "increasing pressure" on Iran in its nuclear dispute with the West, which it should be resolved peacefully.
At the summit, heads of state and delegates from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia expressed their opposition to what they called a wave of "Islamophobia" in the West which threatened the world's around 1.5 billion Muslims. But they also distanced themselves from acts of terrorism committed in the name of Islam, one of the biggest preoccupations of the international community since the September 11, 2001 attacks by al Qaeda in the United States. "The conference asserts that terrorism is completely against the peaceful teachings of Islam that favor tolerance and kindness and the rejection of violence," the draft communique said, adding terrorism "must be denounced without reservation".