The ninth Makkah Conference, entitled “Introducing Islam to non-Islamic countries – Reality and Aspirations” is scheduled to begin in Makkah on Dec 1. The three-day conference, to be hosted by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the General Secretariat of the Muslim World League (MWL), will discuss the stereotyping of Islam and accusations that it encourages fundamentalism and extremism. Dr. Ahamd Bin Nafi Al-Murai, head of the Conference Academic Committee, said that participants in the conference would tackle misconceptions about Islam and depict the true image of the Islamic principles of tolerance and moderation, and also explain the relationship of the Islamic religion with other religions, SPA said on Tuesday. Al-Murai praised the Kingdom's efforts to explain the genuine principles of Islam in the Interfaith Dialogue initiated by King Abdullah, and said the MWL had invited thinkers, intellectuals and scholars from all over the globe to address the conference. The conference will be the ninth since the late King Abdul Aziz first held the Makkah Conference in 1923 to discuss the situation of Islamic minorities in the world. __
