Conference on contemporary media between freedom of expression and abuse of religion wrapped up

Conferees express appreciation for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Crown Prince over their service to Islam and Muslims

Event calls for forming joint committee to face up to offence against Islam

Participants stress economic cooperation among Muslims

The Conference of Contemporary Media between Freedom of Expression and Abuse of Religion was concluded on Sunday.

The conference was held by the Muslim World League (MWL) in cooperation with Yemeni Ministry of Endowments and Guidance.

The conference was attended by MWL Secretary General Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki and Yemeni Minister of Endowments and Guidance Hamoud bin Abdulhamid Al-Hitar.

In their final statement, the participants thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, for their efforts to serve Islam and Muslims and support WML programs.

The participants were keen to complete WML role in the global dialogue initiative which was launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madrid.

They also urged to organize more conferences and forums of dialogue in response to the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and to expand the participation Islamic media in this field.

On behalf of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Prime Minister Ali Mujawar had opened the event in Sana'a.

The conference was attended by the League's Secretary General Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki.

Addressing the Conference, Dr. Al-Turki conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince to the Yemeni President and people, and their wishes of all success for the Conference.

He described relations between Saudi Arabia and Yemen as distinguished in various fields.

Dr. Al-Turki noted that the King and his government supported the League.

He stressed that the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for dialogue between religious leaders in the world focused on the speed to save mankind from the dangerous moral deterioration.

Organizers at the ministry told Yemen News Agency (SABA) that the objectives of the conference are to clarify media concepts and its goals, tasks and methods to support values of justice and peace.

The conference also aims to enhance the areas of cultural dialogue between Muslims media men and the international media institutions in order to work together in the service of such values.

The event addressed a number of issues relating to freedom of expression in contemporary media and abuse of religion centered on motives and reasons for the abuse of Islam and Muslims, as well as the crisis of awareness of religion and morality in the contemporary media in addition to the Islamic nation's duty in addressing this.

On the other hand, Saudi Minister of Culture and Information Iyad bin Amin Madani said that a royal approval has been issued to the Ministry of Culture and Information to organize the 1st International Conference on Media in cooperation with the World AFRA Organization in Riyadh on March 31.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Madani expressed his thanks to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for the approval which embodies the royal directives to the Ministry of Culture and Information for the enrichment of media movement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in general, meeting with media personnel and creating channels of communication with them in particular.

The Minister of Culture and Information said that the ministry has recently joined the membership of "AFRA", which is an international organization for researches and services related to the news industry and publication; it is concerned with press and information publication; it organizes international exhibitions and seminars and provides services to more than 3000 members in 80 countries.

He said that the Ministry aims through the Conference titled "Future of Press Publication" to build bridges of cooperation and dialogue between media organizations in the Middle East, building the culture of communication between media personnel, promoting the appropriate academic climate for graduating distinguished media cadres, benefiting from global expertise and experience in the field of publishing and marketing, and providing access to modern technologies in the field of printing and publishing.

The Minister of Culture and Information said participants in the conference include international experts in media industry from all over the world, experts and advisors from AFRA and personnel of news organizations and local media.