He said these were among three imperatives that should be taken into account if Muslim communities were seeking a wider and more active role in Asean.
He said other imperatives were the need to respect the principles of diversity and to establish social justice based on timeless universal religious principles.
"It must be noted that these three imperatives must be undertaken within a cohesive framework of Islam which promotes a proper appreciation of Islam as a force for good humanity, progress and development."
Najib said this in his inaugurating address at the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) International Symposium on "Islam and The New Era of Asean Countries: Unity of Worldview Towards A Shared Prosperity", here, today.
Also present was former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also IKIM chairman.
The two-day conference is to identify bases of Muslim cooperation through the worldview of Islam and to search for appropriate initiatives in the face of present-day crisis of civilisation and the socio-economy.
"Islam is a global faith that binds Arabs, Persians, Egytians, Berbers, Turks, Europeans, Africans, Indo-Pakistanis, Caucasians, Chinese and Malay-Indonesians together in a common bond," said Najib.
"As are there are almost 220 million Asean Muslims who constitute about 40 per cent of the Asean population today, there is a need to renew the understanding of Islam.
"We must emphasise our common heritage and put aside any sectarian differences which can lead to division and conflict. We must prioritise our investment in education and skills."
To respect the principles of diversity, he said differences in terms of religious traditions, culture, language and skin colour must be duly – Bernama
(Source: The Sun Daily)
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