Awqaf Minister Dr Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa has called for outlining a charter that promotes the
concept of citizenship and stresses exchanged rights between citizens and the state.

Truly, citizens should have all their rights uncompromised, Gomaa said, adding that in turn they should remain loyal to their state and their state only.

He was delivering a speech at a forum on boosting peace in Muslim communities, currently taking place in Abu Dhabi, the UAE.

The speech was carried by the Awqaf Ministry in a statement issued Wednesday.

The awqaf minister said the Arab nation badly needs to achieve an integrated unity in all fields.

The political, cultural and educational awareness of the Arab peoples has increased, Gomaa said. They have come to know that there is no alternative to Arab unity at the political, economic and cultural levels, he added.

Now they are also seeking to have a joint military force to protect the gains and security of this nation, the minister further said.

The joint force should counter attacks by extremists who kill people under the name of Islam and the Quran, Gomaa said, stressing that Islam is innocent of all such deeds.

Gomaa expressed fears that those extremist groups are used as a tool by foreign countries to dismantle the Muslim nation.

Moderate Islam allows for difference and pluralism and accepts the Other, Gomaa told the forum.

This can be clearly seen in a country, such as the UAE, where all people are perfectly co-existing regardless of their ethnicity, religion or color, the minister said.

The Arab region is politically targeted, Gomaa said, stressing the need to remain on high alert.

He urged Muslim countries to act to fight both extremism and negligence, believing both have hazardous effects on the nation.

The minister, meanwhile, held talks with a number of top scholars on the sidelines of the forum.

They discussed means of boosting cooperation in correcting the wrong conceptions about Islam.

Gomaa and the top scholars also agreed on the need to act to promote the tolerance of Islam in the face of extremism and terrorism.

Gomaa met with Sheikh al Sayyed Aly al Hashimi, the religious and judicial advisor to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nuhayyan.

He praised big efforts exerted by the UAE to activate Arab cooperation, particularly where religion is concerned.

Gomaa is attending the forum as part of a top-profile delegation of Al Azhar.

The delegation is led by Grand Imam of Al Azhar Dr Ahmed el Tayyeb.