Standing up against terrorism and extremism

Addressing the closing ceremony of the summit in Tehran, Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, who took over the rotating presidency of the union, said that such meetings will result in the resolution of problems facing the Islamic world.

He also stated that during the two-day conference, all Muslim parliamentary representatives expressed concern about the “sinister phenomenon of terrorism.”   

Larijani added that OIC member states’ parliaments have a “relative understanding” of the problem, and the conference could help bring about convergence of the representatives’ views.

Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, speaker of Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned the assembly against Zionism, stressing that the Islamic Ummah had to defend its standing in al Quds and fight judaization.

“The Islamic world is still at the crossroads in dealing with challenges regarding development, economic growth, globalisation, ICT revolution, preservation of cultural identity and Islamic thought, and ethnic divisions,” Al Murr noted.

He also called for enhancing the role of joint Islamic action organisations so as to devise programmes that close ranks and bolster joint coordination and cooperation in order to safeguard strong inter-Islamic ties and stand strongly against internal and external destabilising factors.

“Over 1.1 billion Muslims pin high hopes on joint Islamic action to correct the false allegations about violence, intolerance and extremism in Islam,” he said.

“The foremost challenge we are facing today as an Islamic nation is to preserve the identity of the holy city of Al Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem), which has provided the rationale behind the creation of the OIC. Israel's hostile campaign to Judaise the holy city and change its Islamic identity don't only ridicule and disrespect the international law and many other international relevant resolutions but also consecrate an Israeli systematic method to violate well-established Islamic rights.”.

Al Murr said that there was an urgent need for one Islamic voice at international gatherings, be it parliamentary or governmental, to implement the OIC action plan “to protect Al Quds including taking the issue to the UN Security Council, the International Court of Justice and other international organisations to hold the Zionist entity accountable for its crimes, notably its schemes to change the demographic structure of the holy city”.
 
Addressing the issue of humanitarian work in some hot spots in the Islamic world, the FNC speaker called for adopting the Islamic human solidarity principle, pointing out to the UAE's approach under its leadership of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and its government led by Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on responding to disasters in Islamic countries out of the belief that assisting brothers in need was a sacred Islamic duty.

Also on Tuesday, the OIC member states’ parliaments adopted a number of resolutions in different committees, including the economic committee, the political and foreign affairs committee, and the cultural and human rights committee.

Mali was selected to host the 10th session of the conference.