MADINAH-SPA

Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Nayef opened an international conference on "The Phenomenon of Takfir (branding opponents as infidels)...Reasons, Impact and Treatment" here on Tuesday.

Earlier on arrival at the conference venue, Prince Nayef was greeted by Prince Saud bin Nayef, adviser to Prince Nayef and assistant interior minister for general affairs, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed, governor of Madinah, and other senior officials.

The conference is organized by Prince Nayef International Award for Sunnah and Contemporary Islamic Studies.

In a statement on the occasion, Assistant Minister of Interior Prince Mohammad bin Nayef said Saudi Arabia was the first country that succeeded in combating extremist thoughts and ideologies.

"We achieved this through dialogue and by presenting the true doctrines of Islam," Prince Mohammed said, referring to the counseling program introduced by the Kingdom to change the mindset of militants.

He said the conference discusses the reasons for the dangerous phenomenon of Takfir in order to find effective solutions to tackle it. He said prominent scholars from the Kingdom and abroad would present research papers on the topic.

He said more than 200 Islamic scholars, psychologists and sociologists are involved in the counseling program that covers prisoners all over the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, addressing a meeting of Madinah people, Prince Nayef announced new projects for the welfare of Madinah people.

Prince Nayef highlighted the security and stability in Saudi Arabia in contrast to other countries in the region.

He highlighted the important position of Madinah in the minds of Muslims all over the world being the city of the Prophet (peace be upon him). "King Abdullah has given top priority to development of Madinah," he added.

He said Madinah governorate has worked out a number of new projects for the development of the region.

Prince Nayef earlier chaired a meeting of Madinah Provincial Council, which discussed a number of issues such as prices hike of essential commodities and the measures taken to control prices as well as construction of low-cost housing units for the poor.

Madinah Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed commended Prince Nayef's efforts to empower provincial councils that play a significant role in boosting the Kingdom's social and economic development.

Prince Abdul Aziz explained the governorate's programs to protect towns and villages in the region from flashfloods by constructing rainwater drainage systems. He disclosed plans to establish new school buildings to replace rented ones, improve health services and expand infrastructure facilities in the region.