The imam of the grand mosque of Mecca has claimed Donald Trump, the US
and Saudi Arabia
are "steering the world
to peace", in comments during a visit to New York that sparked an outcry on social media
.
Abdulrahman al-Sudais said in a TV interview
with Saudi channel Al Ekhbariya that Saudi Arabia and the United States
are the "poles of influence in the world".They are "steering the world and humanity to the ports of security, peace and prosperity," he added, claiming that the two countries should unite to "combat terrorism" and to "realise security and international peace".
The conference, on 'Civilisational communication between the United States of America and the Islamic World', was held by the Muslim
World League over two days and attracted representatives of Islamic institutions globally.Sudais' comments attracted criticism, with the hashtag #SudaisDeclarationDoesNotRepresentMe circulating in Arabic.
And some gave examples of America's role in interrupting world peace
Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of a quartet of states boycotting Qatar after accusing it of funding terrorism.
The UAE, Bahrain
and Egypt
and the Saudis cut diplomatic ties with the tiny Gulf state in June and imposed an air and land blockade.
Conversations
The opinions expressed in reader contributions are those of the respective author only, and do not reflect the opinions/views of Trans Asia News.