King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz patronizes World Conference on Dialogue

Madrid, July 17, SPA -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz patronized here today, in the presence of King
Juan Carlos of Spain, the inaugural ceremony of the World Conference
on Dialogue.


The 3-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 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
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."