Nigeria has called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to urgently address the numerous challenges of conflicts and terrorism facing member states.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, made the call in an address to the 41st Council of Foreign Minister of the 57 member states, yesterday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
A copy of his address made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), disclosed that Wali said Nigeria was convinced that the OIC had a crucial role to play in changing negative perceptions about Islam in various parts of the world.
The minister decried that Islam had erroneously been seen “as literally synonymous with conflicts and violence”.
According to him, the OIC must promote a better and deeper understanding of Islam which abhors violence, hate and fear.
“We must raise greater awareness about the Islamic faith and address Islam-phobia by seeking to remove distrust and stereotypes about the religion.
“We must work harder to delist our member states from the ignoble map of flash points of conflict and hotbeds of terror in the world”, he said.
On the threat of Boko Haram in Nigeria, Wali commended the OIC Secretary-General, Iyad Ameen Madani, for coming out strongly to isolate the terrorist group as un-Islamic, criminal and outlaws. (NAN)
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