King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz patronizes World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid

Custodian of Tow Holy Mosques asserts tragedies in human history attributed to extremism in religion, politics

King of Spain hails Saudi king’s great role in boosting dialogue

Conference represents message underlines Muslims partners in making Future

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz patronized, in the presence of King Juan Carlos of Spain, the inaugural ceremony of the World Conference on Dialogue.

The three-day conference, organized by the Muslim World League, is hosted by Spain in Madrid.

Those concerned with the Dialogue from the followers of revealed Messages and oriental philosophies, are participating in the conference in response to the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was received by King Juan Carols of Spain, and Dr Abdullah Al-Turki, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League.

He was also greeted by the Spanish Prime Minister (President of the Government) Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Minister of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation Miguel Angel Moratinos.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques delivered the following speech:

"In the name of God, most merciful, most compassionate.

"Praise be to God Almighty, who revealed in his holy book: "O mankind! We have created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you."

"And peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammed and on all the prophets and messengers.

"Your Majesty, my friend, Juan Carlos, King of Spain:

"Distinguished friends:

"I greet you, and I thank you for responding to our invitation to this dialogue. I appreciate the efforts you are making in the service of humanity. I extend my deep appreciation to my friend, His Majesty King Juan Carlos, and the Kingdom of Spain and its friendly people for welcoming the convening of this conference on their land, a land that has a historic and civilized heritage among the followers of religions, and which has witnessed coexistence between people of differing ethnicities and religions and cultures, and contributed, with other civilizations, to the advancement of humanity.

"Dear friends:

"I came to you from the place dearest to the hearts of all Muslims, the land of the Two Holy Mosques, bearing with me a message from the Islamic world (Ummah), representing its scholars and thinkers who recently met in the confines of the House of God. This message declares that Islam is a religion of moderation and tolerance; a message that calls for constructive dialogue among followers of religions; a message that promises to open a new page for humanity in which – God willing – concord will replace conflict.

"Dear friends:

"We all believe in one God, who sent messengers for the good of humanity in this world and the hereafter. His will, praise be to Him, was that people should differ in their faiths. If the Almighty had so desired, all mankind would have shared the same religion. We are meeting to affirm that the religions that God Almighty desired for the happiness of man, should be a means to ensure that happiness.

"It is therefore incumbent upon us to declare to the world that difference must not lead to conflict and confrontation, and to state that the tragedies that have occurred in human history were not attributable to religion, but were the result of extremism with which some adherents of every divinely revealed religion, and of every political ideology, have been afflicted.

"Mankind is suffering today from a loss of values and conceptual confusion, and is passing through a critical phase which, in spite of all the scientific progress, is witnessing a proliferation of crime, an increase in terrorism, the disintegration of the family, subversion of the minds of the young by drug-abuse, exploitation of the poor by the strong, and odious racist tendencies. This is all a consequence of the spiritual void from which people suffer when they forget God, and God causes them to forget themselves. There is no solution for us other than to agree on a united approach, through dialogue among religions and civilizations.

"Dear friends:

"Most of the past dialogues have failed because they have deteriorated into mutual recrimination focusing on and exaggerating differences in a sterile endeavor that exacerbated rather than mitigated tensions, or because they attempted to fuse religions and creeds on the pretext of bringing them closer together. This is likewise a fruitless effort, since the adherents of every religion are deeply convinced in their faith, and will not accept any alternative thereto. If we wish this historic meeting to succeed, we must focus on the common denominators that unite us, namely, deep faith in God, noble principles, and lofty moral values, which constitute the essence of religion.

"Dear friends:

"Man could be the cause of the destruction of this planet and everything in it. He is also capable of turning it into an oasis of peace and tranquility in which adherents of religions, creeds and philosophies could co-exist, and in which people could cooperate with each other in a respectful manner, and address problems through dialogue rather than violence.

"Man is also capable – by the grace of God – of vanquishing hatred through love, and bigotry through tolerance, thereby enabling all mankind to enjoy the dignity that the Almighty has bestowed upon all of them.

"Dear friends:

"Let our dialogue be a triumph of belief over disbelief, of virtue over vice, of justice over iniquity, of peace over conflicts and wars, and of human brotherhood over racism.

"Thus, with God we began, and through Him we seek assistance. I offer you my sincere greetings and appreciation.

Thank you and peace be upon you."

Following that, King Juan Carlos I delivered a speech, welcoming the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and appreciating his visit to the Kingdom of Spain paid last year.

"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, we know the importance you attach to this conference which we hope will have a great success", he said.

"Spain has a great and rich knowledge of the various ways, cultures and religions. It is a country that built its democracy on tolerance, coexistence and mutual respect", he added.

King Juan Carlos pointed out Spain's permanent and continuous support for the peace process in the Middle East and dialogue in the Mediterranean. He stressed that Spain is among the supporters of peace, dialogue and cooperation affairs at the international level.

He also expressed hope that the World Conference on Dialogue will support the respect of identities, beliefs, values and ethics which are common denominators among divine religions and various cultures and civilizations.

He also hoped that the conference will lead to mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence among humans, wishing a world of peace, justice and equity that allows the present and future generations to grow with dignity.

The King of Spain emphasized the importance of exerting efforts to eliminate hunger and poverty around the world and to maintain the environment.

At the end of his speech, the King welcomed once again his dear friend the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, wishing great success for this conference.

Following that, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsin Al-Turki delivered a speech in which he said "I am very glad to extend profound gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud both for patronizing this conference, and for his strong and uninterrupted eagerness to foster the art of meaningful dialogue. The monarch's attitude in this respect emanates from both his astute view of the problems facing mankind, and his full conviction that, there are enormous opportunities that mankind can avail itself of, to remedy the lot of the human being any time anywhere, regardless of religious and cultural backgrounds."

"I am also glad to welcome this congregation of the various religious, intellectual, political and media figures, and to wish our conference every success.

The mere act of convening this conference can be regarded as both a triumph for the voice of moderation and peace in the world, and a positive step on the path of cooperation in the service of the human family. Whatever the religious, intellectual and cultural differences of the peoples, the noble values of justice, charity and virtue are deeply rooted in their natural disposition, and confirmed by the divine Messages. They shall forever remain as the established communal source and a universal framework, capable of producing enlightened ideas, and constructive as well as wise proposals for addressing the common problems facing the human society.

In fact, dialogue is one of the best mediums of conveying those noble values, and broadening the range of mutual understanding. It addresses both the inborn disposition and the intellect and wins hearts and minds.

Actually, this conference is being held within the framework of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al –Saud, King of Saudi Arabia’s appeal for dialogue between the various religious, cultural groups and leaders of human thought. If anything, the Custodian’s appeal is an expression of the deep-seated desire of the Saudi Arabian leadership for an excellent co-existence of the world’s nations, peoples and civilizations as demonstrated in the kingdom’s internal and external policies. It also serves as a proof of the fact that the backgrounds of both the kingdom's culture and civilization are marked by openness, flexibility and the desire for mankind's wellbeing.

In this context, the recently concluded International Islamic Conference for Dialogue, which was held in the Holy City of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, may be seen as a comprehensive Islamic step in response to the monarch's generous appeal. A large number of Islamic personalities who attended this international conference agreed on the fundamentals and mechanisms of a successful dialogue.

Moreover, the Makkah conference focused its deliberations on the essential aspects of dialogue, projected its authenticity and laid down the terms and conditions conducive to its success. All these were then incorporated in the ‘Makkah Declaration’, which was issued by the conference, crystallizing the Islamic vision of dialogue.

As an international non governmental organization with an observer status at both the UN and OIC, the Muslim World League has always shown keen interest in both the issues of dialogue and the ways and means of backing it up. In fact, the 'League' has placed these issues within its cultural as well as media priorities, in order to counter the concept of the inevitability of the clash of civilizations.

Indeed, one of the most significant goals of dialogue is to discuss the ways and means of counteracting the promotion of anarchy, moral degeneration and family disintegration. This is because all these have gone to the extent of plotting against natural disposition and ignoring the constitutional differences of the genders.

Moreover, face to face encounters between world religious, intellectual and philosophical figures can present invaluable opportunity to spread the atmosphere of understanding, correct wrong information and minimize the causes of tension and radical judgments, attitudes or visions.

In view of the fact that they belong to one and the same origin, Islam views the members of the human race as equal. Ethnic, color or language differences do not warrant any discrepancy between them, in as much as dignity and human values are concerned.

Our Prophet, peace and blessings be on him said:

“O’ mankind! Your Lord is but One, your father is but one. Let there be no preference of the Arab over the non Arab or of the non Arab over the Arab, nor of the red skinned over the black skinned or the black skinned over the red skinned except by piety”.

Openness towards the others and harmonizing with them is one of the elements of the Islamic civilization. The presence of religious as well as ethnic minorities in the Islamic world throughout history goes a long way to substantiate this fact. The rights, peculiarities, religious heritage and culture of these minorities have always been protected, thanks to both the principle of tolerance in Islam and the essential nature of the Sharia (Islamic law) which serve as the basic source of the Muslim lifestyle, culture and civilization.

Dialogue is one of the most important mechanisms of interaction with the entire existence, on a give and take basis. Dialogue doesn't tolerate compulsion or oppression, but operates along the line of diversity and mutual endeavor for global equilibrium.

In order to transform dialogue from a mere occasion of meetings and discussions, to a positive communion that produces tangible results capable of insuring a better reality of life, we need to concentrate on the following three circles:

• The Circle of Religious Principles: Reaffirmation of faith in One God, Most exalted, inspiring charity towards other people and refraining from harming others.

• The Circle of Human Values: Developing excellent morals that could strengthen the tendency of goodness and curb evil motives.

• The Circle of Mutual Interests: Concerning matters of interest to people with regard to improving their life on this earth, and protecting them against the evil aspects of modern civilization caused by the imbalance of some of its aspects.

In fact, lack of understanding between the dialogue parties, poor opinion of each other and digging into the tombs of history, replete as they are, with painful struggles are real obstacles to meaningful dialogue.

Therefore, dialogue parties must demonstrate impartiality where truth is concerned, fairness towards oneself and the other, overlook the distasteful side of history and demonstrate sincere intention to reach a common ground that can be advantageous to people and remain on the earth.

We must review the track of dialogue that began decades ago, earmark, develop and augment its positive aspects, set aside and correct its negative aspects and adopt those aspects which are more rightly guided. This is all the more so, considering the setbacks we encounter every now and then, as a result of convulsions and misdeeds contradicting the aims and objectives of dialogue, and the breach of contact and low voice of dialogue we sometimes experience due to one casual incident or the other.

We welcome the various world religious as well as cultural figures and others who share our passion for the wellbeing of the human family, to a fruitful dialogue. A dialogue that must have all the elements of success, such as earnestness and sincere desire for cooperation to establish joint programs and projects that could contribute to mankind's happiness, solve its most difficult problems. Programs and projects that may likewise reduce the causes of tension between humanity's various segments, and eliminate oppression, aggression and denying peoples the right to free and decent living.

Finally, I hope that this world conference on dialogue will not meet the same fate as the other conferences whose sole and major achievements were confined to mere presentation of academic researches and theoretical studies.

We crave to transform this commendable and benevolent effort into projects of action to be invested in the progress of practical dialogue, and employed for the wellbeing and the benefit of mankind. We hope further, that, the special attention as well as the very keen interest in mankind's wellbeing and happiness, which the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud attaches to the issue, will prompt the organizers of the conference to adopt and implement those projects.

Therefore, we shall act-God willing- to crystallize these blessed efforts into an ambitious institutional endeavor.

Last but not least, the Muslim World League will like to seize this opportunity to express its special gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its able government under the leadership of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and his trustworthy Crown Prince, Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud for patronizing this significant conference.

The ‘League’ will also like to convey its gratitude and appreciation to both the Kingdom of Spain under the leadership of King Juan Carlos 1 and the Spanish government led by the Prime Minister Mr. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for hosting the conference and according its participants excellent hospitality and reception.

The Muslim World League and its staff will also like to express profound gratitude and appreciation to all the participants and collaborators representing the various institutions and organizations, especially those from the Kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Spain.

Then, members of the official delegation accompanying the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, members of the Spanish government and participants in the conference greeted King Abdullah and the Spanish king.

Afterwards, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz held a luncheon on this occasion.

The banquet was attended by the Spanish king. The ceremony and the banquet were also attended by the Spanish premier, members of the official delegation accompanying King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and members of the Spanish government.

GCC's Secretary General Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Attiyah has praised the comprehensive speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during his inauguration of the World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid.

Al-Attiyah said "The valuable efforts made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on activating dialogue among religions and cultures, in order to serve the harmony and peace not only among Muslims but among the peoples of the world in all their beliefs, are the best proof of his interest in everything that would contribute to solving the problems of the mankind and to enhance security and stability among the peoples of the world of different beliefs and cultures".

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, he expressed his hope that the conference will be successful because the world needs more dialogue for understanding and harmony, and to refute the theory of conflict between civilizations, and to clarify visions of future aimed at ensuring a secure future for all mankind.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero held a bilateral meeting during which they discussed regional and international issues.

The meeting, held in Madrid, also discussed ways of boosting Saudi-Spanish cooperation in all fields.

The Premier expressed hope the World Conference on Dialogue will boost respect of identities, faiths, values and ethics common among divine religions and various cultures and civilizations.

Meanwhile, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and Prince Saud Alfaisal, the Foreign Minister, held a meeting. Prince Saud is currently visiting Spain as part of the official delegation accompanying the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

During the meeting, they reviewed the importance of the World Conference on Dialogue in view of the current circumstances which necessitate such initiatives and conferences on dialogue to boost common values among divine religions, cultures and civilizations and peace among all peoples of the world.

They also discussed regional and international issues of common and ways of boosting the distinguished Saudi-Spanish relations.