CAIRO: Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa highlighted the importance of cooperation between Muslim and Christian leaders in a speech he delivered during a conference at Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. The Mufti also called for combining efforts by the media and civil society organizations along with the Islamic clerks to overcome religious extremists. The conference, titled "A Common Word Between Us and You: A Global Agenda for Change, mainly focuses on strengthening the peace process between the Muslim and Western societies through dialogue, according to the center's website. In his speech, Gomaa emphasized the importance of the cooperation between Muslim and Christian leaders to combat the current social defects the communities are facing. Gomaa added that it is important to find solutions for problems facing the environment, problems of drug addiction, youth deviation and other forms of corruption within the community. "Christians and Muslims are siblings and Islam encourages Muslims to accept other people regardless of their religious background, Sheikh Mohmoud Ashour, former deputy of Al-Azhar and member of the Islamic Research Center told Daily News Egypt. He added that in Egypt we don't have sectarian problems, but rather problems with interpersonal relationships.
