World Muslim body vows to combat 'sectarian policies'

Yahoo – AFP, 19 June 2014

Iraqi Shiite men brandish their weapons as they show their willingness to

 join Iraqi security forces in the fight against Jihadist militants who have taken

over several northern cities in the capital Baghdad on June 18, 2014

The Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, representing more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, affirmed Thursday a commitment to unity in combatting "sectarian" policies.

A two-day meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah affirmed that OIC members will stand "united in combatting sectarian, confessional, and exclusion policies that have led to sedition in some countries and threatened their security and stability," said a statement read by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

The statement did not explicitly name Iraq, where Saudi Arabia blamed the "sectarian" policies of the Shiite-led government for the takeover by Sunni Muslim jihadists of key cities and large swathes of the country.