Scholars from 102 countries invited to Islamic unity conference in Tehran

TEHRAN,Jan.21(MNA) – Scholars from 102 countries have been invited to attend the 26th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran. The conference is scheduled to be held on January 27 and 28, Hojjatoleslam Araki, secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, told a press conference in Tehran on Sunday. About one thousand Iranian scholars and pundits and 300 scientific, political, and cultural figures of the Muslim world, including scholars from Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, Pakistan, and Persian Gulf countries have been invited to attend the conference, he added. A number of invited scholars have been banned from attending the conference by their governments which are subservient to other countries, he said. Hojjatoleslam Araki also said that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to deliver a speech at the conference. A range of issues, including the Syrian crisis, will be discussed during the conference, he said.