By Sobhy Mujahid, IOL Correspondent

CAIRO, January 28 (IslamOnline.net) – In an effort to confront rising Islamophobia worldwide, Cairo is to host a conference on the humanity of Islam and how to clear distorted images of the religion.

The conference, slated for April 17, is to be attended by a cohort of Islamic affairs and waqfs (religious endowment) ministers, muftis and representatives of Muslim and international organizations.

Muslim and western scholars from 80 countries would show up for the event, under the title, “Humanity of Islamic Civilization” and organized by the Higher Council on Islamic Affairs in Egypt.

The main purpose of the gathering is to highlight the Islamic values and civilization in order to stand up to the ferocious international campaign against Muslims, said Egyptian Waqfs Minister Mahmoud Hamdy Zaqzouq Thursday, January 27.

The title reflects two main calls, the first for Muslims to abide by the true values of their religion and the second for the world to reverse attitudes towards Islam, he said.

Four Pivots

The conference is to touch on four pivots during the four day of discussions, according to Zaqzouq.

The first is “Islam's stance on the other”, as well as principles of equality and multiplicity in the religion.

The second is Islam’s relation to other civilizations. Claims on clash of civilizations, along with the influence of Islam on western civilizations, will be tackled by the participants.

The humanity of Islam, abhorrence of hatred and racism, respect for prophets, in addition to the world’s need to highlight Islamic values would make up the third pivot.

The fourth probes Islam’s views on woman, discusses the honoring of women by Islam, legal personality of women, marriage contracts and political role, in addition to inheritance, testimony and polygamy issues.

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Muslims in several world countries, particularly in the West, complained of rising cases of discrimination, simply because of their faith.

A May 2004 report released by the US Senate Office Of Research concluded that Arab Americans and the Muslim community in the United States have taken the brunt of the Patriot Act and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Addressing the opening session of “Confronting Islamophobia: Education for Tolerance and Understanding”, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan regretted earlier in the month that “Islam's tenets are frequently distorted and taken out of context.”