JEDDAH: The secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL), Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, signed an agreement with Hiroko Kawahara, president of the Land Identity Project, which calls for harmony, peace and teaching children the value of civilization. Fabricated religious and intellectual conflicts have produced many forms of hate, extremism and terrorism, said Al-Issa, who accused the “materialistic” media of significantly fueling conflicts. He was speaking in Japan, where he met with members of the diplomatic corps at the invitation of Waleed Siam, dean of the Arab diplomatic corps. Al-Issa also attended an international symposium hosted by Japan’s Foreign Ministry and attended by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, who received him before the start of the symposium and discussed with him issues of common interest. Al-Issa said there are many reasons for the emergence of extremism, including a perceived sense of abuse or marginalization, and a lack of justice. In general, contemporary terrorist organizations were established against the backdrop of political conflicts, giving them religious interpretations, he added. The biggest danger facing the world is the globalization of extremism, which used to be confined geographically, he said, adding that extremism “should be faced with counter-ideology.” Al-Issa urged societies to enhance their national fabric and fight all forms of religious and ethnic discrimination. “When religion takes hold in the minds of individuals, it does not constitute a mere transient choice. Rather, it becomes an important entity that affects their feelings and actions,” he said. “Unless there is a deep awareness of the reality of religion and an integrated national unification, we will find cases of unconscious religiosity with negative behavior.” He stressed the importance of preventing religious, political or ideological messages that may isolate any community from its societal context, or calls to rally against the state. “We must also distinguish between the philosophy of some countries that calls for the separation of religion from the state, and respect for the conviction of followers of all religions, as this may trigger religious sensitivities,” he said.