U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, in a private meeting held by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Dakar, Senegal on Thursday, reinforced the United Nations' stance on disassociating terrorism with Islam. “The U.N. and the OIC stand side by side in rejecting forcefully and wholeheartedly any linkages between terrorism and Islam,” the secretary-general said in his report to the OIC. Ban commended the OIC on its efforts in combating the linkage. “You have spoken up against those who seek to justify violence in the name of religion,” he said. “Your efforts reinforce the U.N.'s own steps to promote tolerance and understanding through the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, and I look forward to increasing U.N.-OIC collaboration in this area,” added Ban.
