Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques patronizes the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue in Makkah

King Abdullah: Our call to the conference is meant to challenge rigidity, ignorance and narrow-mindedness

We aim to deliver the concepts of Islam to the whole world without any hostilities

Scholars participating in the conference hail the king’s opening speech

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud arrived in Makkah coming from Jeddah to attend the opening session of the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) .

Upon arrival at Al-Safa palace, the King was received by Governor of Makkah Region Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz; Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prince Khalid bin Saud bin Khalid; President General of the Grand Mosque and Prophet's Mosque Affairs Sheikh Saleh Al-Hosain; Secretary General of the Muslim World League Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki; and a number of officials.

Immediately after arrival, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques performed Maghreb Prayer (Sunset prayer) in the Grand Mosque.

The King was accompanied by Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz; Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud al-Faisal; Chief of General Intelligence Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz; Assistant Chief of General Intelligence Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammad Al Saud; Secretary General of the National Security Council Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz; and a number of senior officials.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud left Jeddah. The King was seen off by Governor of Jeddah Province Prince Misha'al bin Majed bin Abdulaziz and a number of officials.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received at Al-Safa palace in Makkah visiting President of the Expediency Council and Chairman of the Council of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and his accompanying delegation.

During the audience, the monarch welcomed his Iranian senior guest, wishing him and his delegation a good stay in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On his part, Iran's ex-President expressed thanks to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to him and the accompanying delegation.

Then, they reviewed a number of issues of common concern and exchanged view points on the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue scheduled for Makkah.

After that, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques held a dinner party in honour of Rafsanjani and accompanying delegation.

The audience and the banquet were attended by Prince Met'eb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; other princes, ministers and a number of officials.

Following is the full text of the king's speech:

"In the Name of Allah - Most gracious, Most merciful. Thanks to Allah the Almighty, and peace and blessings upon the Prophet, prayer and peace be upon his family and companions: Brothers, Muslim scholars and thinkers: May Allah's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you all: From the land of Revelation and land of Message, I welcome you with warmest greetings, beseeching Almighty Allah to give us the unrelenting determination, a power not afflicted by weakness and makes us from those whom Allah said about them " Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate" (S 41 A 34).

Dear Brothers, You gathered today to say to the world around us, with confidence which Allah bestowed upon us. We are the voice of justice and human moral values, and we are voice of rational and just co-existence and dialogue, voice of wisdom and admonition, and argumentation with the best way possible as Allah says "Invite all to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best" S 16 A125 and God willing we will do.

Dear brothers: How Great this nation is, How difficult the challenges it faces in time where its enemies of extremism from its sons and others join forces to change its fair approach. They are gathered with blatant aggressiveness to target the tolerance, justice and noble purposes of Islam. For this reason, this invitation from your brother is to counter challenges of rigidity, ignorance, narrow-mindedness, and to make the world accommodate the concepts and the prospects of the kind message of Islam without enmity and antagonism. "O Mankind! We created you from single (pair) of male and female, And made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (Not that may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (He who is) the most righteous of you. (S 49 A 13).

Dear brothers: Islam will remain fortified by the will of Allah Almighty and then with the conscience of Muslim scholars, thinkers and his followers. Islam's greatness founded the concepts of dialogue, and sets its milestones which are reflected in Allah Saying "Were thou severe or harsh-hearted, They would have broken away from about thee" S 3 A 159.

Our hearts are full - praise to Allah- by faith, tolerance and love, which Allah, The creator ordered us to obtain. Yes, Dear brother, the way to the others, is through shared values advocated by the divine messages, which were revealed by Allah the Almighty for the benefit of humanity to preserve their dignity and promote the ethical values and dealings which certainly are not in conformity with deception.

These values, which reject treason, alienate crime, combat terrorism, and despise lying. These lay the bases for good morals honesty, truthfulness, justice, and enhance the concepts of family values and its cohesion and ethics, which are slowly diminishing at present and disintegrating ties, and where human beings are distancing themselves from their Lord and the teachings of their religion. Dear Brothers: From the vicinity of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, We begin - with the will of Allah, and from there, we will move in our dialogue with the others in confidence derived from our faith in Allah and then from knowledge sought from our tolerant religion. We will argue in ways that are best, what we agree upon we accept it in our hearts and what we disagree about we refer to the Sublime Saying "To You be Your way, and to me mine" S 109 A 6.

Before I conclude my speech, I'm pleased to extend my thanks to the Muslim World League and its personnel and to every one who contributed to the success of this conference. In the name of Allah, We start, and In Allah is our trust. Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon you all. Deliberations are for the third and concluding day of the conference to work out the details and parameters of the interfaith dialogue initiative launched by King Abdullah last March.

The three-day event brought together more than 500 Islamic scholars, thinkers intellectuals and academics from around the world.

Dr. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chief of the Expediency Council and Chairman of the Experts Council of Iran, recalled that the conference is being held in the vicinity of the holy mosque where Prophet Mohammed has started his great call.

Rafsanjani, however, called for inter-Islamic unity before heading outwards. He hailed what he called the good points in the speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former Iranian president, in his speech, said: “A few meters away from Al-Safa hill, Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) used to address the disbelievers of Quraysh. Saudi Arabia is now doing the same.” “We are suffering from many problems and it is the duty of our scholars to suggest solutions. Countries of the Muslim world represent nearly a quarter of the world, so we should create an alliance and take unanimous decisions as 20% of the whole world’s resources are under the control of the Islamic states,” he said.

On his part, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for presenting the initiative and patronizing this conference, wishing it every success.

Then the Secretary General of the Muslim World League Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki addressed the gathering on behalf of the MWL, which represents Islamic peoples and minorities, expressing thanks to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the great efforts he exerts in serving Islam and Muslims in particular, the attention he pays for the service of the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sacred places, the removal of any obstacle facing pilgrims and Umrah (minor Hajj) performers, the provision of support for the Muslim World League and the various bodies and Islamic organizations, in continuing of the approach outlined by the Kingdom's founder King Abdulaziz Al-Saud and later followed by his sons who ascended the throne after him until the current era of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz whose major interest was the service of all humanity.

Al-Turki considered the event a historic opportunity accommodating Muslim scholars and intellectual leaders from around the world.

During the conference, ways of dialogue with non-Muslims will be discussed to reach an Islamic vision, indicating that Islam is a message for all people including the finest ever human values and principles.

Dr. Al-Turki said that the Nation of Islam, once lives up to its values, will have the ability to pursue dialogue with the other divine messages as dialogue is a means deriving its force from its legitimacy.

One of the means of defending Islam during this era of information technology is to extend bridges of dialogue with others, he said, adding that Muslims need to explore the cultures and concepts of others.

He called for a revision of the past dialogue experiences to derive lessons suitable for the world of today.

He said Muslim scholars do appreciate the great efforts exerted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud aiming at improving the living conditions of Muslims.

Following that, the king received a gift handed over to him by MWL Secretary General to mark the occasion.

Then the King graced a luncheon held on the occasion.

The opening ceremony and lunch party were attended by Prince Mit'eb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Bandar bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman; Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, President of AGFUND; Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Bandar bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Mamdooh bin Abdulaziz; Prince Mirqren bin Abdulaziz , Chief of General Intelligence; other princes, senior Ulema, ministers, guests of the conference and senior civil and military officials.

The International Islamic Conference on Inter-faith Dialogue held its first session under the chairmanship of Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Homaid, Chairman of the Shoura Council.

This session was devoted to discussing the first topic titled "Islamic Authentication for Dialogue" which was presented by Dr. Saad bin Ali Al-Shehrani, Executive Director of the International Forum of Muslim Scholars and Thinkers.

After that, Dr. Jawad Mohammad Mahdy Al-Khalesy, Rector of Al-Khalseya University in Iraq, talked about "Experiments of civilized dialogue across History" where he said that all human calls across history were built on dialogues carried out by owners of these calls or the people who were convinced of them to try convince more people of the rightness of their ideas and methodologies upon which these calls have been established.

Then, the Conference held its second session under Chairmanship of Dr. Nour Mohammad Hedaiet Waheed, Speaker of Indonesia's Parliament.

This session was devoted for discussing the topic of "Dialogue Parameters and its Legal Terms" discussed by each of Dr. Isam Ahmad Al-Bashir, Secretary General of the International Center for Moderation in Kuwait, as well as Dr. Salman bin Fahd Al Oudah, General Supervisor of the Institution of Islam Today.

Participants in the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue resumed their deliberations and held their third session.

The Participants discussed in this session the method of dialogue and its controls. Three researchers presented their research and work papers on this subject explaining their views on dealing with this issue and presenting proposals on the method and its controls.

The International Islamic Conference on Inter-faith Dialogue held its fourth and fifth session consecutively.

The fourth session was presided over by Dr. Izzedin Mustafa Ibrahim, Advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates under the title "With Whom to Talk?"

Chaired by Dr. Hussein Hamid, Legal Controller at Dubai Islamic Bank, the fifth session was held under the theme "Promoting Dialogue and its Potentials".

At the conclusion of the conference, the participants recommended the establishment of "King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Civilization Interaction" with the aim to disseminate the culture of dialogue, and the creation of "King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Award for Civilization Dialogue.

They expressed their great appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the efforts he exerted in the field of dialogue and his patronage of this great event, looking forward to his support for the conference's decisions and recommendations.

The participants requested that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques send, as soon as possible, invitations to distinguished and specialized figures in the field of dialogue within Muslim circles and followers of other faiths and recognized philosophies to probe the Islamic vision this conference has put forward so as to reach a practical formula for a fruitful global dialogue that contributes to solving the problems humanity now suffers. They also asked that he use his good international offices through the United Nations, world countries, and world organizations in the best ways he sees fit.

The Ulema asserted their support for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in his efforts in serving Islam, Muslims and the entire humanity which will lead to cooperation, stability and peace among all human communities of different beliefs and cultures. They also expressed their thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its promotion of dialogue and its patronage for its activities and conferences.

The Conference stressed that Islam has viable solutions to those crises, and that the Muslim nation, with the rich civilization it draws on, ought to contribute with others to facing these challenges. The other divine religions and philosophies share with Islam the basics of human ethics and values which they should together protect against injustice, aggression and disintegration of families.

The statement said that the comprehensive dialogue on the investment in shared and mutual humanitarian interests is necessary for cooperation in joint action programs that besiege contemporary problems, and shield humanity against their malevolent effects.

The statement also pointed out that dialogue is a genuine approach in Quran and the practice of prophets when communicating with their peoples. It signalled Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah society as an ideal example of the society of co-existence of different cultures under the leadership of the Prophet.

The statement emphasized that dialogue is one of the most important outlets through which Muslims can perceive the world, and achieve a set of goals, the most important of which is to introduce Islam, its legislations and humanitarian principles, in addition to its rich civilization. Dialogue also enables Islam to contribute to the march of human civilization and to respond to and correct the erroneous slanders raised against Islam, and to address the challenges facing the world owing to distancing themselves from religion and its values. Accordingly the world of today fell in the grip of vice and injustice, terrorism and Human rights violation. Dialogue also provides an opportunity for Muslims to defend causes of human rights and legitimate issues, and create a public opinion in its defence.

Enemies of Islam are planning to disqualify Muslims from this legitimate area of struggle to pave the way for the dominance of one culture. The spread of dialogue also helps in solving whatever disputes or chronic conflicts might emerge among Muslims and others who share with them the homelands and communities regardless of being majorities or minorities. It also confirms that Islam believes in co-existence with other civilizations.

The conference called for the unity of the Islamic stance of dialogue through the world body to be assigned for dialogue by Muslim World League. The body should be regarded the coordinating liaison of all dialogue committees and institutions. Muslims should be committed to its strategic vision that emerges from dialogue with others, should focus on the common humanitarian and mutual interests, and should work to achieve peaceful coexistence, justice and social security among peoples of different civilizations and the world.

The conference urged all to benefit from the experience of dialogue conducted by members of the Muslim World League.

The Conference examined the experience of dialogue between Muslims and others over the past five decades, and having looked to the future prospects of dialogue with the followers of various messages, it called for opening channels of communication and dialogue with the followers of divine messages, philosophies and recognized intellectual approaches.

The participants called for opening an all-track dialogue, with trends affecting the contemporary life including all political, research and academic and media fields, not only religious leaders. Dialogue should also cover those with abusive attitudes to Islam, the statement said.

The conference stressed the need for more dialogue for understanding and compromise formulas to prevent a clash between civilizations, recommending that MWL and other Islamic official and popular organizations to produce information materials in various languages and disseminate them among non-Muslims to refute theories of conflict between civilizations and show the risks that might face humanity due to such thoughts. The conference also called for the convening of an international conference on the dangers of theories of clash of civilizations on world peace and security. Influential religious, cultural, political and academic leaders should be involved in such conference, the statement said.

The conference called on world countries and international institutions, particularly the United Nations, to carry out their duties and confront the culture of hatred between peoples, and to face the corrupt racial and hatred calls.

The Conference called on Muslim countries, where there are non-Muslim majorities or minorities, to forge social dialogue with them.

The conference urged Muslims in non-Islamic countries to conduct continued dialogue with the people of those countries, respect the host countries' rules, never neglect their Islamic religious duties, and show cooperation with the governments of Islamic countries and Islamic organizations.

The conference called on the United Nations and human rights organizations to criminalize the abuse directed at Islam and its Messenger and pass resolutions condemning the blaspheming of all prophets.

The statement said the common grounds for a serious dialogue will be based on a belief in the unity of the origin of mankind; that humans are equal in dignity and humanity and in rejection of racism and denunciation of odious claims of superiority.

The conference reviewed the topics of dialogue and called on Islamic and global dialogue institutions to give priority to issues of protection of values and ethics against the calls for demoralization on grounds of defending individual freedom and fighting terrorism, violence, extremism and blasphemy. The conference called for studying the causes and means of eradicating them, and for global cooperation to wipe them out through various means. The conference also refuted the suspicion that Islam and Muslims are responsible for terrorism, extremism and hatred. Also the conference rejected the oppression and exploitation of poor people under the excuse of liberating them or guarding their human rights.

The conference called for the provision of the basic elements of families and for helping them financially and morally to bring up responsible generations who care for the world welfare according to the guidance of God.

The Conference appealed to the world's peoples, Governments and organizations, even though they have different religions and cultures, to forge understanding between our and their groups based on a shared belief that God is one, He is our creator and we have to worship Him. Accordingly, we will cooperate to end wars, conflicts, and international problems, and work together to promote a culture of tolerance, dialogue, and build together an international umbrella of ethics that confronts illegitimate social relationships, and addresses the risks endangering the family.

The participants hailed the interest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in dialogue, and his call on the world's countries and peoples to cultivate it and to renounce violence, and the King's confirmation of the need to pay attention to the common principles and ethics to divine religions and books and his focus on the importance of defending and safeguarding the family as the cornerstone for society against calls for vice and family and social disintegration.

They considered the address of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques an important document of the conference and a ground for the start of dialogue, citing its significant contents for achieving peace and positive coexistence.

A number of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in Egypt expressed interest in the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue being currently held by Muslim World League in Makkah under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

They emphasized that the conference's activities, sessions and meetings would promote the Islamic and comprehensive concept for the dialogue that will support the Muslim scholars to spread their message of spirit of Islam.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Dr. Mahmoud A'shour, Al-Azhar former Undersecretary and member of Islamic Research Assembly emphasized the importance of enhancing the efforts to activate the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue held by Muslim World League in Makkah at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, calling on everyone to support all affairs upholding the word of Islam.

For his part, the former head of Islamic Research City, Dr. Farhat Al-Mongi emphasized the importance of holding this conference in such circumstances and the importance of the call for dialogue with wisdom and good advice. Al-Mongi praised the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for this conference.

For his part, in a similar statement to SPA, Al-Azhar University Professor Ibrahim Najim emphasized the importance of this conference.

Najim welcomed the Kingdom's hosting of this conference, wishing that the conference comes out with recommendations to keep abreast of responsibilities facing the Islamic world.