Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques holds annual reception of heads of Hajj mission King says Saudi dialogue call to enhance Islam, serve humanity

King Abdullah to Hajj leaders, officers, soldiers: Honesty while carrying out your duties is honor for men who sacrifice for the sake of religion, homeland

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud hosted the annual reception for the Islamic personalities and heads of Hajj mission, who are performing this year's Hajj.

The distinguished personalities included Sudanese President Omar Hasan Al-Bashir, Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas and Chechen's President Ramadan Ahmad Qadirov.

The reception was attended by Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Defense and Aviation Minister; Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Interior and Chairman of The Supreme Hajj Committee; Prince Khaled Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Makkah region and Chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, Prince Abdulilah bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the King and Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, the Head of the General Intelligence.

The reception was also attended by a number of Ulema (Islamic Scholars), Cabinet Ministers, senior officials and the ambassadors of Arab and Islamic countries accredited to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In his address, Minister of Hajj Dr. Fouad bin Abdul-Salam Al-Farsi, welcomed the King on this occasion. He also greeted Heads of states, Princes, Ulema (Islamic Scholars) and Cabinet Ministers.

Addressing the King, Dr Al-Farsi said "I believe fully that every one of us who is present in this hall is honored by you and high-ranking personalities who came here from all over the world to perform Hajj. All of them feel happiness and satisfaction by performing Hajj rituals under fine and easy circumstances, with the blessings of Allah Al-mighty, then by the efforts and services offered to them by your prudent government as well as all governmental sectors which are working together in accordance with a strategic plan to implement your daily and continuous directives as well as your firm keenness to eliminate all obstacles for the interests of the guests of Allah Almighty and to provide all necessary means for their comfort everywhere in the holy places."

Again addressing the King, Dr. Al-Farsi said "the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ever since the time of its great founder - your father the late King Abdulaziz (May Allah show mercy to him), was and is still exerting great efforts to ensure more development for Makkah, Madinah and the holy places. Moreover, the Government is allocating huge budgets in order to make the process of Construction and Reforms in conformity with the latest advances and meet the necessary requirements.

Al-Farsi recalled the King's address during a similar reception to mark the end of last year's Hajj, urging Muslims to always remind that Hajj is an occasion to enforce what unites them rather than what differentiates, citing their coming from all over the world representing different cultures, societies, races, traditions and colors but sharing one belief and a host of human values.

At the time, the monarch called for protection of family as the correct and firm nuclear of a consistent society, Al-Farsi said.

He drew the attention to the fact that the local, sisterly and friendly media were freely and honestly covering the event, hailing the giant achievements done by the Saudi government under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and appealing to Allah Almighty to bless the efforts exerted by the Kingdom, particularly the security authorities who turned Hajj a pleasant divine journey for every pilgrim.

Al-Farsi quoted a number of pilgrims then interviewed by the media as recalling the contents of the king's address before Makkah International Islamic Conference for Dialogue and Madrid International Dialogue Conference last summer.

Hence, you have built a bridge of real peace for today's mankind to enter into serious contacts, cordiality, and rejection of violence and terrorism, Al-Farsi said, adding that "with such transparency and clear vision, you have exposed the comprehensiveness, wide room and ability of Islamic faith which enable it to strongly and effectively contribute to solve many problems of today on bases of constructive solidarity and cooperation with brothers and friends to confront challenges and to proceed for continuous good deeds emanating from parity, justice and equality". In conclusion, the Minister of Hajj wished the Islamic nation more success and unity.

Then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud delivered the following speech:

"Praise be to Allah, prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammed.

Dear Brothers… guests of Almighty Allah

God's Peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.

Let me congratulate you on the blessed Eid al-Adha and wish you successful Hajj.

Since the time of Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, and through the era of Prophet Mohammed, up to this date, believers have— in a wonderful spectacle—thronged towards the ancient house of God in response to the eternal call chanting for one creator, embodying the idea of equality and renewing hope in the unity of the nation, the earnest passion of the founder of our modern state: late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman.

Dear Brothers…

During the previous Hajj season, I intimated to you the importance of dialogue among the followers of religions; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had called for a meeting in Makkah for Muslims to discuss the idea of dialogue. Scholars and intellectuals of the Islamic nation took part in that meeting and welcomed the idea and authenticated it according to Sharia.

This was followed by an international conference in Madrid accommodating a spectrum of representatives of religions and cultures who reviewed the outcome of the Makkah meeting and issued a statement, welcoming the idea anew and calling for developing it. The United Nations General Assembly has also hosted a high-level meeting in this regard, attended by several prominent world leaders, and the international community as a whole endorsed the idea of dialogue.

The goal of the project, which has been initiated by your brothers in the Kingdom, is to further empower Islam and serve humanity. The fair reception and success the idea has enjoyed makes us more optimistic that its future march will be as successful, God willing.

Today, we need an inter-dialogue within the Islamic nation itself; sedition, ignorance and fanaticism constitute obstacles that threaten the high hopes of Muslims. Terrorism, in particular, which threatens the world and is attributed to Muslims alone, stems from acts of extremists who represent no one but themselves even if they put on an Islamic character. Islam is categorically innocent of their acts. That is what makes self-dialogue a necessity for the unity of stands within Muslim nations and for promoting moderation and eliminating the causes of conflict and extremism. "

Then the king shook hands with the audience who, later, had lunch with him.

Earlier, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki, Secretary General of Makkah-based Muslim World League, and Yemen's Minister of Endowments and Guidance Homood Abdulhameed, who is leading his country's Hajj mission, delivered speeches before the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

They congratulated the monarch on the excellent administration of this annual event in the most successful and satisfactory way ever.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz received princes, Muslim scholars, sheikhs, the guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from the GCC member states, as well as ministers, commanders, officers and personnel of the Hajj security who came to greet him on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz delivered a speech in which he congratulated all personnel of all sectors of the Saudi armed forces on Eid al-Adha.

The king urged them to carry out their duties and sacrifice for the sake of maintaining the security of their homeland and people, praising their sacrifices for serving the religion and the homeland.

The king said, "No doubt that what you are providing today for the service of the Guests of God (pilgrims) and for maintaining their security and safety is an honor added to the honor of duty toward your religion and then your homeland."

The king added, "We in this homeland do not accept to talk about ourselves with a language of self-satisfaction as the responsibility we all have requires vigilance in carrying out the duty and patience toward the responsibility we have toward our religion, our people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and then our two Arab and Islamic nations"

The king said, "The homeland will preserve for you the fact that you stood as a strong and solid shield, thanks to God, against the deviant groups' aides of Satan. The homeland and the people will not forget your sacrifices in which martyrs fell and fighters were injured for the sake of supporting right, boosting security and stability of a homeland whose pillars of unity were established by our modern state's founder the late King Abdulaziz."

Director of Public Security and Chairman of the Security Committee of Hajj Brigadier General Saeed bin Abdullah Alqahtani made a speech on behalf of Hajj security personnel

. In the speech, he expressed happiness for the audience with the king and highlighted the importance of participation by various military sectors in Hajj.

Alqahtani said that the security plans approved by Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Interior Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, were implemented precisely, hailing the support by the king and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, for those forces and for the rest of other bodies.

The audience was attended by a number of princes. All had lunch with the king.