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Islamic summit opens with slap at West
Summit to discuss unity among Muslim world
December 9, 1997
Web posted at: 5:58 a.m. EST (1058 GMT)TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opened a summit of more than 50 Islamic leaders Tuesday in Tehran with a blistering attack on the West as a greedy society that is destroying the world.
"Western materialistic civilization is directing everyone toward materialism while money, gluttony and carnal desires are made the greatest aspirations," the Shi'ite Muslim clergy told leaders and high-ranking officials representing 55 Muslim nations.
"Sincerity, truthfulness, altruism and self-sacrifice have been replaced in many parts of the world by deception, conspiracy, avarice, jealousy and other indecent features," he added.
Khameni Khamenei made his comments at the start of the eighth summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The three-day conference has brought together former foes to discuss Islamic unity, as well as dignitaries such as U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan who enroute to the summit said on Monday that the OIC was "very important" for the work of the United Nations.
The summit is the largest gathering of international leaders in Iran since the 1979 revolution. Analysts predict the meeting will mark a significant turning point in relations between Iran and the Arab world
Despite Khamenei's harsh criticism of the West, Iranian President Mohammmad Khatami offered a much more conciliatory tone to its Western counterpart, saying Islam nations and the West were "not necessarily in conflict and contradiction in all their manifestations and consequences."
Khatami Khatami, elected in May on a platform of reform and respect for the law, added that sophisticated understanding of other nations entailed dialogue with them.
"Living in peace and security can be realized only when one fully understands not only the culture and thinking but also the concerns as well as the ways and manners of others," he said.
Iran's relations with its neighbors have been strained since the 1979 Islamic revolution, in which Muslim fundamentalists called for exporting the nation's militant brand of Islam.
But Iran now is promoting itself as a land of peace and stability, trying to transform itself from pariah to regional power broker.
And the meeting demonstrates a growing acceptance of Iran by its Arab neighbors, even as the United States has tried to isolate the Tehran government.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah, the highest-ranking Saudi leader to visit Iran since the revolution, said the world was witnessing an Islamic revival, but he added that the Muslim community has a ways to go before being completely united.
"The Muslim world is still suffering from a state of fragmentation and disruption and is going through the worst as a result of extensive militancy which has shed innocent Muslim blood in the name of Islam," he said in a speech released ahead Tuesday's summit.
Related stories:
- Islamic leaders to discuss unity - Dec. 9, 1997
- Iran welcomes old foes to Islamic summit - December 8, 1997
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