Singapore meeting calls for defense of social cohesion

BY Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - There is a need to defend the global social cohesion among different communities, the Jordanian king said on Thursday.

“Those who preach a hate-filled message about Islam are distorting our religion’s great heritage and teachings,” Abdullah II said in a key note address, at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies in Singapore, streamed live on Facebook.

He stated that the “hate speech" is a "threat to humanity,” calling for defense of global social cohesion among communities.

Also speaking at the conference, President of Singapore Halimah Yacob called on the religious leaders for commitment to “safeguard religious harmony”.

“That commitment is very important because it is not just a general statement but it is quite specific as to what they [religious leaders] want to achieve with their own religious communities," Yacob said.

The three-day international conference, which saw the participation of around 1,000 academics, government officials and members of religious and civil society groups from different countries will conclude on June 21.

According to Singapore-based daily Strait Times, over 250 religious organizations attended the event in Singapore from 40 countries have pledged to safeguard religious harmony across the globe.