Riyadh, November 11, SPA -- The efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to launch global dialogue among followers of religions and those who belong to different civilizations and cultures have gained the approval of the general assembly of the United Nations to call for a high-level meeting for dialogue among the followers of religions, based on the outcome of Madrid Inter-faith forum for Dialogue which was organized by the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) from 16-18 July 2008 in Madrid upon invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The United Nations general assembly has announced on October 11, 2008 that it would convoke a high-level meeting in New York from 12-13 November 2008 for this purpose upon request of Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the name of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Arab group at the United Nations during his speech before the 63rd session of the UN general assembly late September 2008.

The call drew the direct consent of a number of world dignitaries including the General Assembly's current President Miguel D'Escoto, U.S. President George Bush, White House Press Secretary Dana Perini, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Madrid World Forum for Dialogue has recommended that the UN general assembly supports the outcome of that conference to further push dialogue among followers of religions during a special session under the auspices of the world organization.

Participants expressed hope that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud uses his offices to bring about this meeting at the earliest.

Thus, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has dug his name deep in contemporary history as one among the prominent callers for peace and dialogue.

Hence, New York meeting comes as embodiment of the hopes and aspirations of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to see an end to deterioration of ethics, dismantling of families and peoples disputes.

Following is a report summarized by the Saudi Press Agency on the efforts exerted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to enhance dialogue among Muslims on one hand and between Muslims and non-Muslims on the other hand, to introduce Islam to non-Muslims as a religion of tolerance, peace and fairness.

The King patronized on July 16, 2008 in the presence of King Juan Carlos of Spain in Madrid the opening ceremony of the three-day World Interfaith Dialogue, organized by MWL and hosted by the Kingdom of Spain.

Addressing the gathering, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said:
"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 today 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 due 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."

A number of prominent participants agreed that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has drawn in his opening session speech the map for Madrid conference when he stressed the need to discuss the common factors among religions rather than aspects of sedition and division.

They suggested that the King frankly diagnosed the reasons behind the failure of previous dialogue meetings.

They also lauded the message the monarch's speech has contained, illustrating a world free of violence and full of security, peace and co-existence.

In particular, CNN has described the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as history-maker, citing his call for dialogue among followers of religions.

The Chairman of Religions Dialogue David Rossen said the hand extending toward Christians and Jews should be shaken with pleasure.

Political analyst Dr. Morris Johns said if ever a leader was to achieve peace, he would be King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

He went on to say that the U.S. could not achieve peace alone. It needs the support of strong friends.

Dr. Johns said that it is very important to start with the long-awaited Middle East peace. "Many in the world reckon on the distinguished approach and strategy of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to yield fruits in the region", he added.

The Makkah-based International Islamic Conference for Dialogue has adopted the call launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for dialogue among followers of faith, civilizations and cultures.

Here's a text of his speech before Makkah conference:
"In the Name of Allah - Most gracious, Most merciful Thanks to Allah the Almighty, And Peace and Blessings upon the seal of the Prophets, 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 enemity 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 honored 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.

In an interview with a renowned Italian newspaper, the King said that "we are part of the world, we exchange influence. But we are followers of a human message and exercise a deep-rooted civilization legacy" and that "our religion urges us for dialogue, cooperation and co-existence and for the spread of love, peace and ethics among mankind".

He expressed the hope of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to see a world of peace, not only for Muslims but also for all peoples of the entire world.

The King went on to say that "to remove skepticism among all of us we have to start with dialogue and find out the common factors that will constitute the point of a launch towards real peace and co-existence".

Tracing the history of the King's calls for the importance of bringing about peace instead of conflict and dispute, we find that he called for that goal at different platforms and occasions.

We can cite his initiative for peace in the Middle East which was adopted by Beirut Arab summit 2002, later called the Arab Peace Initiative.

In 2000, the then-Crown-Prince participated in the Millennium summit, organized by the United Nations. Addressing the gathering, he said the United Nations charter has called for the exercise of tolerance, good neighborhood and human rights.

During a symposium on the "Profile of Islam in the Contemporary Media", organized by MWL in Shaaban 1422 H., the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also called for the importance of dialogue, understanding and cooperation among different peoples and civilizations.

Accordingly, the leaders of the Islamic world held an extraordinary summit in Makkah from 7-8 December 2005. Addressing the gathering, the King said Islamic unity could not be achieved through bloodshed as claimed by extremists.

During a reception to welcome the guests of Al-Janadriyah annual festival for Culture and Heritage on the outskirts of the city of Riyadh in 2006, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud called on the nation's intellectuals and thinkers to show the real image of Arab and Islamic identity to others.

During a visit to Poland in 2007, the King dedicated King Abdullah Center for Encouraging Dialogue and Cultural Exchange in the Polish city of Yani Kovo, established by its people in recognition of the King's initiative ordering the separation surgery of a Polish Siamese in a Riyadh hospital at his own expense.

The call for the integration and cohesion of family as a nuclear of society also came during a speech delivered by the King at a reception party held to honor Hajj official guests in 1428H. on the outskirts of Makkah.

During a reception held at the King's palace in Riyadh in honor of the participants in the Japan and Islamic World dialogue of civilizations from 15-17 /3/1429 H., the idea to call for an international meeting for followers of religions to kick-off dialogue instead of attack crystallized. He revealed that since two years ago, he was thinking of another way to bring about peace through reason and wisdom.

He said the idea to bring leaders of inter-faith together to speak to each other was accepted by the scholars (Ulemas) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Crowning the efforts exerted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to promote dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions, an international prize for translation was launched under the name of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud International prize for translation in recognition of the role of translation in the exchange of knowledge and strengthening of interaction between Arab and Islamic culture and other cultures and supporting the dialogue of civilizations and cultures.

© Saudi Press Agency 2008