Doha meet agrees on panel to counter aggression against Islamic world

An international forum of Islamic scholars has agreed to set up a committee to counteract aggression against the Islamic world. A 31-member secretariat with representatives from several countries will work out an action plan for the Global Anti-Aggression Campaign, which is a forum of Islamic clerics who have said the Islamic world is under threat from the West. “Most Muslims have not come to the realisation that the Third World War is not military, to be fought from the air in Apache helicopters or on a battlefield,” said Safar Bin Abdul Rahman Al Hawali of Saudi Arabia, the campaign chairman. “This is a religious war, hostile to our deeply entrenched values and morals in all Muslim lands.“The ummah [community] of Muslims from every colour, nation and race is ignorant about the plight of men, women and children who are under attack from forces alien to Islam.”In its final declaration, the forum called on all Muslims to unify and counteract aggression in all its forms by peaceful means.Participants said this could be achieved through peaceful means, including politics, diplomacy, education, information and media campaigns to have a dialogue with the West. Female reporters barredThe declaration also focused on the role of the leadership in guarding the community against aggressors. Participants also drafted the campaign’s constitution and agreed the committee would act accordingly.While calling for more information on the issue, female journalists were asked not to approach the conference’s participants.