| Embrace spirit of reconciliation: King
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MADRID: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday exhorted followers of the world's leading faiths to turn away from extremism and embrace a spirit of reconciliation, saying that history's great conflicts were not caused by religion but by its misinterpretation. Opening a three-day international interfaith conference here, King Abdullah emphasized the need for constructive dialogue to resolve differences. "My brothers, we must tell the world that differences don't need to lead to disputes," he said. "The tragedies we have experienced throughout history were not the fault of religion but were caused by extremism, which has been adopted by some of the followers of all religions and all political systems," he said. "Man, who can be a cause for the destruction of this planet, has the ability of making it an oasis of peace and tranquility where followers of different religions could coexist, respect one another and deal with problems through dialogue and without violence," he said. "This human being is also capable, with the help of God, in defeating hatred with love, intolerance with tolerance and make all of humanity enjoy the benefits of mutual respect," he said. "Our dialogue will be a success of faith against atheism, of virtue against vice, of justice against injustice, of peace against conflicts and wars, and of human brotherhood against racism," he said. Nearly 300 delegates are attending the global gathering, which aims to bring Muslims, Christians, Jews and followers of other faiths closer together. Participants include World Jewish Congress Secretary-General Michael Schneider and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, in charge of dialogue between the Vatican and Muslims. King Juan Carlos of Spain also addressed the opening session at the ceremonial El Pardo Palace on the outskirts of Madrid, saying he hoped the conference would be successful. "We have always been interested in strengthening peace, dialogue and cooperation on the international stage," he said. King Abdullah began his keynote speech reciting a verse from the Holy Qur'an: "O Mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you in the Sight of Allah is the one who is most pious and righteous." (49:13) He thanked participants, who have come from different parts of the world in response to his call, and commended their efforts to serve humanity. He also praised King Carlos for hosting the event. "I came from the land of the Two Holy Mosques carrying a message from the Islamic Ummah that declares that Islam is a religion of moderation and tolerance, a message that also calls for constructive dialogue among the followers of different faiths. This message gives glad tidings to mankind by opening a new page of concord, God willing, in place of conflict," the king said. The Saudi leader said this message was conveyed by nearly 600 Islamic scholars and intellectuals who gathered in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah last month at his invitation to prepare for the Madrid conference. "It is God's wisdom that people follow different religions. If He had wished He would have united the whole humanity in one religion... We are meeting here today to say that religions should be a means of ironing out differences rather than leading to disputes," the king said. "Most of the dialogue (between religions) has ended in failure because they exaggerated the differences among them," he said. "To succeed, we must emphasize the common link between us which is a belief in God as well as the noble principles and moral values." He said religion could combat many of the problems of modern society. "Terrorism... the breakdown of families, drugs, exploitation of the weak by the rich — all of these are the consequences of a spiritual void." King Abdullah later received delegates and hosted a luncheon in their honor, which was attended by King Carlos and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The king also held talks with Zapatero on major regional and international developments. King Abdullah has made reaching out to other faiths a hallmark of his rule since ascending the throne in August 2005. He met Pope Benedict XVI in November last year, the first meeting ever between a pope and a reigning Saudi king. The conference will not discuss hot-button issues such as the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran's nuclear standoff or rising oil prices. |
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