CAIRO: A delegation from Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta will call for combating the growing hostile sentiment against Islam at the United Nations Academic Media Impact forum, due to kick off Thursday in New York. Dar Al-Ifta was invited by the UN to showcase its efforts in employing modern technology to build bridges between the different cultures, civilizations and religions as well as advance human development and spread Islam. The delegation will also urge the international media to fulfill its responsibility in distinguishing between Islam and the distorted perception of it, Ibrahim Negm, the Grand Mufti's advisor, said. Negm also announced the launch of a new international initiative that aims to set a code of ethics and benchmarks for the media to follow when it handles news relevant to Islam and Muslims. The initiative will also call for relying on credible religious leaders in the media rather than citing the self-proclaimed experts who know very little about Islam's teachings, he said. Negm is scheduled to meet with William Vendley, secretary general of Religions for Peace NGO on the sidelines of the forum, to discuss means of cooperation between Dar Al-Ifta and the NGO to further enhance dialogue between cultures and religions and spread tolerance as well as exchange experiences and expertise. Dar Al-Ifta will also hold a series of seminars in New York discussing Sharia and relaying its true message. Negm said he will deliver a Friday sermon at the United Nations that revolves around the current events in Egypt and Islam's stance on them, as well as discusses the coming period. His sermon will emphasize the role of Islam in human civilization as it condemns violence and fundamentalism and calls for coexistence.
