TEHRAN -- President Mohammad Khatami said at the inaugural ceremony of the 20th Holy Quran reciting competitions on Tuesday that the Muslim nations should reinforce solidarity on the basis of the holy Quran, IRNA reported.

"If the Muslim World follow the guidelines of holy Quran in fostering unity, the current religious and cultural differences will no longer be harmful. Instead, they will lead to evolution and development in Islamic societies," President Khatami said.

Ignorance, narrow-mindedness, extremism and resort to violence are the threats to Islamic nations, he said. "It is not acceptable to draw a circle and separate some nations as insiders and the others as outsiders."

On the threats posed to the Islamic nations, he said the big powers always pose threats to national sovereignty of the Islamic states to secure their illegitimate interests.

The Islamic resurrection which has been reverberated in the Muslim world brought the ire of the greedy powers who are bent on plundering the wealth of those nations, he pointed out.

"If we seek unity and consolidation of convergence based on Islamic affinity and the holy Quran, we will attain power and honor saving us from any threats," he underlined.

The Muslim World enjoy widescale facilities and resources which need to be mobilized to demonstrate its power, he said.

The grave difference between Islam and other powers in the world is that the latter seek to suppress human being, but, the Muslim World wants power to restore peace, justice and co-existence in the world, Khatami said.

Today's world is world of lie, deceive, force, violence, terror, suppression, discrimination and humiliation of human beings, he said adding that under such circumstances, the human being needs to understand the truth offered by holy Quran, he said.

The Muslim World should foster unity inspired by holy Quran, he said.

In our Islamic teachings relationship with non-Muslims is based on humanitarian principles and logic and that use of force and intimidation are forbidden in Islam, he pointed out.

He advised the reciters of holy Quran to work hard to understand the holy book of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in dealing with our daily affairs.

Lauding the efforts of Quranic reciters, interpreters and calligraphers, Khatami wished prosperity and success for them along with those dedicating themselves to holy Quran.