Muslim Ummah Must Focus On Ties That Bind Them - Malaysian Foreign Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- The Muslim Ummah must continue to focus on and highlight the ties that bind them and not let their differences tear them apart, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. He said they must always focus on the long-term interests of the Ummah and find ways to work together to forge unity and solidarity. "Division, conflicts and disunity cause a great deal of harm to the Muslim Ummah. They sow seeds of discord among its member and pull them apart," he said in his address at the Council of Foreign Ministers' Emergency Session in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday. The text of his speech was made available to Bernama here Friday. Anifah said he believed that unity and solidarity among the Ummah can be achieved by promoting a culture of moderation, which espouses tolerance, respect and understanding amongst them in order to build a peaceful, secure and equitable world. The emergency session was held following two recent attacks that targeted Saudi Arabia last month, triggering outrage among Muslims across the world. On Oct 27, a Yemeni Houthi ballistic missile was launched towards Makkah but was intercepted and destroyed by Saudi Arabian ground forces. Earlier, on Oct 9, a similar attack was carried out by the Houthis on a Saudi airbase in Taif. Noting that the attacks constituted a threat to regional and global peace and security, Anifah stressed that the acts of aggression were deplorable and contrary to Islamic teachings and principles. --BERNAMA