Muslim leaders to tackle extremism at Mecca meeting

RIYADH, Monday (Reuters) Muslim leaders gather in the holy city of Mecca this week to find ways of tackling religious extremism, social challenges and political divisions which Saudi Arabia says have plunged the Islamic world in crisis.

Kings and presidents from the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference will meet for a special two-day summit starting on Wednesday called by Saudi King Abdullah, whose country has been battling al Qaeda militants for two years.

"This summit comes as the Islamic society is living in grave circumstances because of the crises it is facing," Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Sunday.

Officials say the leaders will try emphasise Islam's peaceful message - with the twin aim of tackling domestic extremism and answering critics who link Islam with terrorism. They will also discuss conflict management.

OIC members include Iran and Syria, which face growing international pressure over Tehran's nuclear programme and accusations that Damascus was involved in the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister. Syria denies any involvement.Iraq, where militants have been waging a two-year insurgency against U.S. troops and the government they helped install, will also be represented at the Mecca meeting.

The talks will look for ways to spur economic development in Muslim countries and stimulate social reform - including giving women a bigger role in society.

"The summit aims to regain a sense of self-confidence for the Islamic nation ... and enable it to face the dangers which threaten it," Prince Saud said.

Officials say Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and Morocco's King Mohammed will be among the leaders in Mecca this week, though the full guest list remains unclear.

The summit will discuss a 10-year strategy put forward by Muslim scholars which includes proposals to strengthen an Islamic academy of jurists to counter militants who use religion to justify violence.

It will also discuss proposals for a "Mecca Visa" to reduce obstacles to business and raise trade between Muslim countries to 20 percent of their trade from 13 percent now.

"The Mecca Visa will be a kind of Schengen visa," said OIC spokesman Atta Manan, referring to the bloc of European Union nations which allow document-free travel across their borders.

Manan said the scholars made proposals for tackling Islamophobia, for managing conflict and dealing with problems faced by Muslim minorities in the West.

"They also focused on the empowerment of women," he said. "Women should play a role. They are largely marginalised now, but they should play an effective role in society".

Saudi Arabia allowed women to run in elections for Jeddah's chamber of commerce last month for the first time. But women were barred from municipal council elections earlier this year and are not allowed to drive.