IT was a call from the sacred and unsullied valley of Mina; it sought unity and joint action. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah made that call in the name of God. He made it to all leaders of the Islamic Ummah because he shared their concerns and pain as well as their hopes and faith in Almighty God. It was a call from the heart of a just, wise and sincere Muslim ruler.

The present lack of unity among the Ummah is an obstacle to its historic mission of calling the world to the truth. The Ummah and all of us Muslims could do no better than to implement the message read out as a reflection of his vision of Haj by the king at the end of last Haj.

The enormous gathering of pilgrims, who epitomize the faith and tolerance of Islam, presents a fine example to all Islamic leaders. It tells them that the Ummah’s unity is not only possible but also very near. Those who come to perform Haj — the pilgrims — share the same objectives and intentions with all their brothers and sisters in Islam and with the entire world beyond.

The meeting at this time of Muslim leaders in Makkah — the site of revelations to which the faithful turn during their prayers — emphasizes the eternal message of Islam and its call for peace, tolerance and unity. It also reinforces our deep belief and genuine conviction that we are the best nation ever created for mankind.

The sincere call by the Saudi leadership for this extraordinary OIC summit has its origins in honest faith and the need to unify the ranks of believers for the betterment of Islam and Muslims and for making its message to the world stronger and more vital than ever before.

The recommendations made last August by the scholars and intellectuals of the Ummah and the vision of its future which they presented after detailed discussions and deliberations will assist in the realization of the hopes and aspirations of every Muslim and every human who believes in the blessings which God has bestowed upon them.

On the other hand, the troublemakers and sowers of the seeds of discord have targeted Islam in order to create division among Muslims, limit their capabilities and exploit their resources. They work to achieve their goals, insidiously pushing our societies into swamps of ignorance, bogs of poverty and cesspits of disease. We have fallen into their traps because of strategies set in motion long ago and we are witnessing now the unfortunate results in the condition of our Ummah, whether in Palestine or Afghanistan or Iraq.

We have also seen terrible catastrophes brought about by terrorism which has turned some of our youth into tools of destruction, division and backwardness.

In a counterterrorism conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia called upon the whole world to confront the challenge of terrorism. The message was clear and straightforward. Money-launderers, drug traffickers, makers of light weapons and other interest groups including organizations that promote destructive thoughts and ideologies, are the main beneficiaries of terrorism. They exist on the blood of an unstable and divided world. They fear that their end and destruction will be at the hands of a world order based on eternal divine messages with Islam being the last and most comprehensive of them all.

Great hopes are being pinned on what is surely one of the most important — and possibly ground-breaking — Islamic meetings in the Ummah’s recent history. The great challenges facing the Ummah today demand the presence of a leadership that will take it from its present predicament to a lofty position, appropriate to its honor and renewing its adherence to the concepts and fundamentals of Shariah.

May God protect the Ummah and help Muslims to unify their ranks and take concrete steps toward progress in this world and in the world to come.