By IINA
Dakar : At least 37 heads of state and government have confirmed their participation in the 11th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) , which will begin here tomorrow, according to Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade. Speaking to the state television, he said Senegal was proud of the high-profile turnout. Senegal hosted the OIC Summit in 1991, but the current event would look into the challenges of the Islamic Ummah, including the conflicts in Sudan, Chad and Palestine, Afronews reported. President Wade said unless “one does not want to betray the spirit of peace of Islam”, these conflicts would be solved. The Senegalese leader also said issues around poverty in the Muslim world would be discussed under Islamic solidarity.
The Summit is a great blessing for Senegal, which had amassed funds to turn Dakar into a world class modern city by erecting roads, bridges and hotels. The roads and bridges will ease traffic jams in Dakar. Ahead of the heads of state and government summit, several non-governmental organizations adopted a declaration, which called on leaders of the Muslim world to “solve the issues which affect the population in some parts of the region, particularly the humanitarian situation in Darfur.” The two-day meeting of the First Conference of Humanitarian Organizations in the OIC member states concluded on Sunday at Sally Portudal resort, 80 km from Dakar.
“We are conscious that the Islamic religion recommends high moral values and orders the Muslims to adhere to the values of peace, respect the safety and integrity of the human being,” the declaration noted, adding that Islam “forbids and criminalizes manslaughter, the forced displacement of civilians, including women, children, and the destruction of lives and means of subsistence, including the profanation of the places of worship, which are as many odious crimes against the Islamic faith and the standards of the civilized lives.”