An international Islamic conference with the participation of 170 Muslim scholars from 40 countries began its deliberations here today. The participants of the 3-day conference will discuss working papers on series of topics including the Islamic Shariah, the characteristics of the Islamic rhetoric, the relations of Islam with the contemporary societies, human rights in Islam, the status of woman in Islam, the Islamic way of realizing comprehensive development as well as the contribution of the Muslims to the human civilization. Addressing the conference's inaugural session, King Abdullah II of Jordan underlined the importance of closing the Muslim ranks, and called for projecting the tolerant principles of Islam and its noble values. Dr Ali Juma, the Mufti of Egypt, Dr Abdulaziz Al-Tuweijiri, the Director General the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Professor Akmaluddin Oghli, the Secretary General of Jeddah-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and other dignitaries also addressed the inaugural session.
