Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 11 / Trend U. Sadikhova /
Inter-religious dialogue will defeat negligent understandings of Islam, Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said at an international conference today connecting different nations in Baku.
"Since ancient times, Azerbaijan was a channel for the flow of scientific information," Ihsanoglu said. "The OIC gathers Muslims from all over the world and representatives of various cultures and nationalities."
Our main goal is to bring Islam's highest values to the world, he said.
The religious leader added that the OIC stands in favor of human rights, rule of law, and fighting against terrorism.
"Most of the OIC aspirations are aimed at developing science and society, fighting poverty, and mutual understanding between Islam and Western society," Ihsanoglu said.
Iinter-religious dialogue can also assist to overcome wrong understandings of Islam, he said.
"I think each society must maintain its civilization," Ihsanoglu said. "The goal of dialogue is not only to exchange information, but also promote mutual understanding."
The OIC was established in 1969 at a conference attended by Muslim heads of state in Morocco.
The OIC political bodies are a conference of foreign ministers. Its headquarters are temporarily situated in Saudi Arabia.