Riyadh, Muharram 8, 1438, Oct 9, 2016, SPA -- Delegations from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and Al-Azhar held their first joint coordination committee meeting. The ministry's side was chaired by Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Zaid, the special advisor to the minister, while the Cairo-based Islamic university's delegation was led by Dr. Abbas Shoman, the undersecretary of Al-Azhar. In statements after the meeting, Al-Azhar representatives confirmed that the two sides are working to defend Islam against those who dare to defame it throughout the world. They explained that Sheikh Al-Azhar did not take part in drafting the Chechen conference statement. They lauded the Kingdom's effort to fight terrorism and extremism. They congratulated the Kingdom on the success of last Hajj. --SPA 22:31 LOCAL TIME 19:31 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w