DAMASCUS, Syria: Titled "Human relations in Islam" the 5th gathering of Proximity between Islamic Schools of Thought ended on Wednesday May 14 in Damascus.

Figures from Iraq, Iran, Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon, Jordan and Oman participated in the two-day gathering which began on Tuesday night in National Assad Library.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Secretary General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri stressed the importance of proximity among religions.

He said expansion of proximity culture could be used as a tool by Muslims to confront enemies' threats.

"Unity is the only way for Muslims to defend their cultural identity and bring a brilliant future for them," he said.

Sheikh Ahmad Hassoun, a Syrian Mufti, while speaking at the gathering called for more Islamic religious education in schools to make youths more familiar with the reality of religions and make them aware of the enemies' plots.

"Current crises in Sudan, Somalia, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen hurt the feelings of Muslims," he said adding "All the crises are results of Western officials' plots trying to provoke historical differences of the Crusades era by insulting Muslims' holy beliefs."