The Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Information ministers from 57 Muslim countries praised the efforts and strategy of Saudi Arabia in combating Islamophobia, and terrorism in Syria, Iraq and other countries.

On the sidelines of the 11th session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Numan Kurtulmus, deputy prime minister of Turkey, thanked the secretary-general of the OIC and Adel Al-Toraifi, Saudi minister of culture and information, for organizing the important session, and said everyone should follow up on the decisions made by the ministry and the OIC.

He further said there is need for strong cooperation among Muslim countries as they have enough resources.

Khalil Al-Tayar, deputy minister of communications and media in Iraq, told Arab News that the organization of the 11th session was very crucial and timely.

He said the conference clarified recommendations and developed a strategy for the media to fight against terrorism and Islamophobia in the Muslim world amid ongoing atrocities in Iraq, Syria and other countries.

He said there is a need for exchange of information, sharing knowledge and experience, establishing different media outlets to combat terrorism in the Muslim Ummah, uniting the Muslim world in order to fight terrorism and Islamophobia, and maintaining stability of Muslim countries.

Hasanul Haq Inu, minister of information from Bangladesh, said that acts of some unscrupulous fanatics resorting to terrorist acts in the name of Islam cannot be called Islamic. Islam is a religion of peace and does not endorse terrorism. He urged all governments and other statutory entities of the world to stop misusing the term “Islamists” as a substitute for terrorists.

Saba Mohsin Raza, secretary and head of the Pakistani delegation from the ministry of information, said this session was very important in efforts to remove misconceptions about Islam and Muslims, and recommendations were made by the conference to combat these misconceptions through the media.

She said all recommendations were welcomed by the member states, and commended OIC’s efforts in chalking out a media strategy to combat Islamophobia and terrorism.

She said Pakistan suggested the establishment of a permanent media advisory board, with media specialists that should be appointed to monitor and evaluate the media, as an exchange of information is important to fight terrorism and Islamophobia.

Madeneine Alingue, minister of communication and spokesperson for Chad, thanked the Saudi ministry and the OIC for organizing the session, which provided a great opportunity for Islamic countries to talk about combating terrorism and Islamophobia.

It was timely, she said, as all the Islamic countries are facing the challenges of terrorism and Islamophobia. “Chad has to deal with two cultures, and we think that the role of media has to be strengthened so both cultures understand and don’t stigmatize each other,” she said.

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