RABAT, September 16 (Islamonline.net) - The heads of the Islamic associations and cultural centers in Latin American countries are meeting in Curaçao Island in the Netherlands Antilles (the Caribbean Islands) on September 16-18 under the auspices of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The three-day meeting is part of relentless efforts to implementing a ISESCO strategy for Islamic cultural action in the West, which had been endorsed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

It also aims at fostering the values of civilizational belonging among Muslims in Latin America, advancing methods of cultural and educational Islamic action for the benefit of Muslim communities, as well as sharing experiences among heads of Islamic organizations in Latin America.

The Muslims leaders will review the image of Islam in Latin American media, along with efforts being extended to redress it, as well as the educational problems and needs of Muslims’ offspring in Latin America, according to information published on ISESCO website.

They will discuss study on the Islamic cultural landscape in the West and international changes.

Beside assisting achievements over the past year, the chiefs of Islamic associations and cultural centers in Latin American will determine fields of future action.

The meeting will be attended by representatives for thirty-five Islamic associations and cultural centers in Latin America.

The two previous meetings were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

ISESCO was set up upon the adoption of its statute by OIC foreign ministers during their 11^th conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, in May 1980.

This decision crowned the OIC efforts to establish an international organization specialized in the fields of education, science and culture.

The third OIC summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia in January 1981, decided to set up the ISESCO, whose founding conference was then held in Morocco in May 1982.

The main objectives of ISESCO are to develop applied sciences and use advanced technology; contribute to the achievement of world peace and security; seek to achieve coordination among the OIC specialized institutions; make Islamic culture the basis of educational curricula at all levels; protect the independence of Islamic thought against cultural invasion and distortion factors, and safeguard the features and distinct characteristics of the Islamic civilization; and safeguard the Islamic identity of Muslims in non-Islamic countries.

Source: http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-09/16/article06.shtml