Serious threats facing the 'Islamic Nation' require all Muslim countries to enhance co-operation and co-ordination, said parliament first deputy speaker Abdulla bin Khalaf Al Dosary.

He said relations should be developed by consolidating economic partnership, supporting core Islamic causes and countering campaigns to divide members of the same religion, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

Al Dossary, who led Bahrain's parliamentary delegation at the ninth session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) in Tehran, said this when he met his Somali, Libyan, Turkish, Sudanese and Jordanian counterparts.

He said Islamic nations must join ranks to combat terrorism, used as a pretext to defame Muslims and discriminate against them for the sake of taking control of their resources.

The OIC should consolidate concepts of political participation, rule of the law, institutional reform, freedom of opinion and expression and promotion of democracy and human rights while involving society in assuming responsibilities as the best way to ensure security and stability across Muslim countries. He also affirmed Bahrain's keen interest to support Islamic causes.-TradeArabia News Service