RIYADH, 3 July 2007 — A delegation of Saudi Boy Scout Association will leave for London this month to participate in the centenary celebrations of the scouting movement, according to Dr. Abdullah Alfahad, secretary-general of the Saudi Boy Scout Association (SBSA).

Dr. Alfahad said 150 delegates from the Kingdom would be joining the celebrations from July 27 to Aug. 8.

In another development, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is sponsoring a project, “King Abdullah’s Gift for Peace,” to promote international understanding and brotherhood among nations.

The king’s initiative is in response to an international congress on scouts to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2008. Laek Ali M. Aydrose, chief commissioner of Bharat Scouts & Guides, was present at the announcement.

Dr. Alfahad said, a center, known as “King Abdullah’s Gift to Peace” Center has been set up as part of the project. The Kingdom will bear the expenses for the peace project intended to promote peace and international brotherhood. He also announced that a dialogue on extremism in schools will be organized for students and families in Riyadh, Makkah and Madinah during the summer vacation.

The main thrust of the dialogue would be to send across the message that Islam stands for peace and tolerance. There will also be lectures for the youth on the need for peace and tolerance.

“The challenges facing the scouts movement are many. But we are handicapped by a shortage of boy scouts in addressing these challenges,” he observed.

Dr. Alfahad, who is the author of three books on the scouting movement, said it broadens one’s mental horizon as the scouts interact with the youth from different cultural and ethnic background. In that respect, it provides an effective solution in sowing the seeds of peace and shielding the youth against narrow-mindedness and extremism.

The secretary-general said 3,000 Saudi boy scouts will be deployed during the upcoming Haj to guide pilgrims using the state-of-the-art GPS technology. To this end, an e-map of Mina and Arafat will be produced to enable the scouts to guide pilgrims using GPS. “The software for the map is ready. In the meantime, we shall train the scouts in the use of GPS technology, so that they could locate the areas to which pilgrims who have lost their way could go.”

Speaking on behalf of Bharat Scouts & Guides, Aydrose said they have invited Dr. Alfahad to visit India. The idea is to let him explore India so that he can explore the country’s physical and cultural landscape. He said that in the Kingdom, too, there is close cooperation between the organizations of the two countries. “We are planning to bring the boy scouts from Saudi and Indian schools on a common platform,” he added.