Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel- Aziz today opened a conference aimed at countering extremism, saying that intellectual and spiritual leaders held the key to ending terrorism, according to dpa. "Scholars and intellectuals are responsible for purifying and correcting the portrayal of Islam inside and outside Mauritania from the effects of advocating sedition and blasphemy," Abdel-Aziz said. The symposium, entitled "Islam, moderation and extremism, in understanding and behavior," is part of a new strategy by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to curtail extremist sentiments, particularly in the youth. The president stressed that the symposium would put forward a clear understanding of Islam, "removed from extremism and intolerance." The north-west African country has been engaged in a battle against Islamist militants in the remote desert region it shares with Mali and Algeria for years.
