DUBAI, Jan 6: Muslim scholars and clerics from around the world are meeting in Saudi Arabia to work out a definition of terrorism to help ward off “a malicious smear campaign against Islam and Muslims”, a Saudi newspaper reported on Sunday.

The Arab News said the 16th convention of the Islamic Jurisprudence of the Academy of the Muslim World League began on Saturday in Makkah.

“We hope the conference would serve as an opportunity for Muslim scholars to explain to the world the true teachings of Islam, which is free of any form of extremism and intolerance”, said Saudi King Fahd in a speech read out at the start of the six-day conference on his behalf.

Muslim World League Secretary-General Abdullah Al Turki warned the gathering that the enemies of Islam were trying to influence world public opinion by insisting “there is a link between this religion and terrorism”.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh, the highest religious authority in Saudi Arabia, urged the convention to “defend Islam by clearing all baseless accusations which aim at distorting the image of the religion”.

He said that Islamic states in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular, have been the target of “a fierce and criminal campaign by ... unfair and unjust media which have been reversing facts and using false information to defame Islam and Muslims”.—dpa