Cairo to host international Islamic affairs conference

Cairo is set to host an International Islamic Affairs conference this weekend, under the auspices of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.   The conference will run Saturday through Monday, attended by more than 30 delegations comprised of religious leaders and representatives from Islamic institutions worldwide, announced Egypt's minister of religious endowments and head of the country's Islamic Affairs Council Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa.    Titled "the role of political, religious, and media leaders and decision makers in spreading peace in the face of terrorism," the conference will include six sessions and conclude with a declaration of recommendations, as well as an international press conference.    Four hundred Islamic scholars from Egypt's Al-Azhar are set to attend, in addition to intellectuals and pundits from different Arab countries.    Egypt has urged Arab and Muslim countries to unite in the face of terrorism and called for purging the religious discourse of extremism.   Last year, El-Sisi said that the "the Muslim world is going through a dangerous turning point and is facing unprecedented challenges targeting its existence and people. [Facing this] requires concerted effort from all of us, and putting all differences aside."   The president has more than once blamed outdated "religious discourse" for holding Egypt back and called for "a religious renewal" in Islam.   He has said that "radicalised" thinking has become a source of destruction for the rest of the world.   Cairo has hosted a number of international Islamic conferences in recent months.    Last month, Cairo hosted a conference on international freedom and citizenship, which was attended by religious representatives from 50 countries Source: Ahram online