Saudi Arabia, Egypt to tackle misconceptions about Islam

Top leaders of Saudi Arabia and Egypt have agreed on exerting efforts to alter prevailing distorted global image about Islam, currently largely viewed as linked to acts of violence and terrorism.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the visiting Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi have held talks focusing on this thorny issue and Gaza crisis namely Cairo's efforts to enforce a viable truce that could pave way for constructive talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Elaborating about the crucial discussions, held between the Saudi Monarch and President Al-Sisi at the King Palace in Jeddah, late on Sunday, shortly after the President arrived in the Kingdom, the Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Ihab Badawi said the talks dealt with developments in Iraq in light of spreading terrorism in the region, conditions in Syria and Libya and impact of these events on the two countries in particular and the Arab nation in general.
The King and the President, according to the spokesman, agreed on "realizing the aspiration for Arab integration and solidarity, bolstering joint Arab action, promoting the true Islamic values of moderation that renounce terrorism, extremism and violence, as well as exerting efforts to correct the stereotypical image about Islam in the world, where it has become intertwined with terrorism and violence." According to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Monarch and the President also discussed the overall events on the Islamic, Arab and international arenas, "particularly the developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and the efforts being exerted to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip." Moreover, the two leaders discussed prospects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them to serve interests of the two countries and peoples in all fields.
The audience was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince, the Second Deputy Premier, Advisor and the Special Envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Minister of the National Guard; Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior; Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet, Chief of the Crown Prince's Court and Advisor of the Crown Prince; Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet and Saudi Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt and Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Qattan.
Following the broad-level talks, the King decorated the president with King Abdulaziz Necklace, the highest and most prestigious medal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, before the two held more than an hour of closed-door talks.
Later on, President Al-Sisi proceeded to the Palace of Prince Muqrin, who held a banquet in honor of the Egyptian leader and his accompanying officials.
President Al-Sisi arrived in the the Red Sea city of Jeddah, late on Sunday, on an official visit for talks with the senior leaders of the Kingdom.
This is Al-Sisi's first visit to Saudi Arabia since his election last June. King Abdullah paid a brief visit to Cairo on June 20 shortly after the Egyptian leader won the elections.
Meanwhile Prince Saud Al-Faisal was quoted the SPA as affirming necessity of the two leaders' meeting in shadow of the current conditions in the Arab and Islamic nations, "namely (the waging of) external wars and interventions by foreign powers, the fomenting of internal discords and the prevailing differences among the Arab peoples, while in fact they are in dire need for solidarity to stand together in face of the aggression." High hopes are pinned on to this meeting "for their consultations is useful for tackling conditions in the Arabs' world so that they could be able to fulfil their duties toward their oppressed brothers in Palestine and those stricken in Syria.
"Such discords that have emerged in Iraq and the disputes in Libya and the whole Arab world warrant action to tackle them." He also indicated that Cairo and Riyadh "are in consensus" with respect of planned establishment of an international center for combating terrorism.
The Saudi King had called for setting up such a center to face and uproot terrorism that has alarmingly spread on a wide scale in the world, particularly in the Middle East.