JEDDAH, 22 June 2005 — Saudi Arabia is going ahead with its reform program, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom Prince Turki Al-Faisal has said. He added that the government had introduced a number of political, economic, educational and judicial reforms in recent years and had given equal opportunity to women to take part in the country’s development.
Addressing a Paris-based foreign policy group comprising European and American politicians and researchers, Prince Turki defended the ideology of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab, saying the Saudi scholar had opposed extremism and called for the protection of women.
“The main reasons for misunderstanding the sheikh’s message are ignorance and political conflicts. Most of his critics, especially those in the West, have not read his books and are unaware of Islamic and Arab culture. They mix Islam and culture and mix the ideas of Ibn Abdul Wahab with those of his so-called followers,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Prince Turki as saying.
During his speech at Le Cercle, a think-tank for international affairs chaired by former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lamont of Lerwick, the ambassador said that Islam encouraged its followers to live peacefully with other communities.
“Peaceful coexistence must be based on dialogue,” he added. He quoted a verse from the Holy Qur’an that urges Muslims to invite others to Islam in a wise and diplomatic manner.
“Reform is part and parcel of the Saudi government policy. We have introduced the consultative Shoura system and reached out to all sections of society to make our reform program successful,” the ambassador explained.
He noted the recent expansion of the Shoura Council from 120 to 150 members as a major political reform aimed at increasing public participation in the decision-making process.
Meanwhile, addressing the Asian-Middle Eastern Dialogue in Singapore, Prince Turki ibn Muhammad, assistant undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry, said the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict was hampering development in the Middle East.
“Arabs and Muslims demand only justice and equality and efforts must be made to remove hatred and hostility and create a framework for the coexistence of Arabs and Israelis,” he said, quoting from a statement by Crown Prince Abdullah.
Prince Turki ibn Muhammad described terrorism as one of the major problems facing the world. “Saudi Arabia will continue its efforts to combat this scourge and its instigators and financiers,” the prince said.
However, he insisted that the war on terrorism should not target religions, especially Islam. He hoped that the United Nations would take the initiative to implement the resolutions taken by the counterterrorism international conference held in Riyadh recently.
Prince Turki said Saudi Arabia had taken a series of measures to protect human rights. These included the introduction of national dialogue, empowerment of the Shoura Council and increasing its number as well as municipal council elections.
He emphasized the importance of dialogue and mutual understanding between various cultures, adding that understanding must be based on the principles of peaceful co-existence and respect for humanity.
