RIYADH, 25 April 2005 — Preparations are in full swing for the 5th National Forum for Dialogue in Abha. To be organized by the King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center, the theme of the forum will be “Our Relations with Others: A Collective National Vision for Dealing With World Cultures.”
The forum which will be held in December aims to spread awareness of world civilizations and cultures and their varying roles in human development.
An information database has been established which includes more than 60,000 male and female applicants. The center’s coordinators in each district provide the information which is then sent to a five-member committee in Riyadh, where the applications are reviewed and the participants chosen. Any citizen who is interested in being a participant can register on a subscription form at the center’s website: www.nationaldialoge.org.sa.
Secretary-general of the dialogue center, Faisal ibn Muammar, said, “Ninety percent of the participants were chosen by reviewing their applications on our website. It is important that we choose participants from different backgrounds to ensure a healthy dialogue. The participants were chosen from the government and private sector and include businessmen and women as well as the unemployed.”
The recommendations made by the forum will be presented to Crown Prince Abdullah. “A number of past recommendations have been implemented through various decrees,” the secretary-general pointed out. He refused, however, to specify which recommendations had been implemented.
The discussions will be based on religion, politics, economy and culture. They will emphasize the importance of diminishing racial discrimination and encouraging cultural diversity. The religious topic “Shariah” will clarify Islamic principles for dealing with “the others”. It will also explain the Islamic view on other cultures. The political and economical topic will deal with the framework of political and economic interests in our relations with other countries. The cultural topic will explain the effects of cultural and civilizational dialogue, laying the foundations for this type of dialogue among other nations.
A similar preparatory meeting was held in Tabuk yesterday. Dr. Rashed Al-Rajih, deputy chairman of the dialogue forum, addressed the meeting and explained the objectives of the national dialogue forums. “These forums are held to help citizens exchange their views freely and openly,” he added. The first preparatory meetings will also be held in Al-Jouf, the Northern Border Region and Madinah. The second phase of meetings will begin on June 18 in Najran, Asir, Jizan, Baha, and Makkah. The third phase will begin on Sept. 17 in the Eastern Province, Qasim, Hail and Riyadh. Each phase will include a committee consisting of 60 participants, both male and female.
