RIYADH, 18 March — Pointing out that Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance respects all faiths, Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, has said that lack of tolerance in some societies breeds terror and oppression, the most glaring example of which is the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians.
Prince Abdullah’s speech at the start of a four-day symposium on “Islam and the dialogue of civilizations” here yesterday was read out on his behalf by Prince Miteb ibn Abdullah, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard for military affairs.
In his keynote address, the crown prince said nothing has caused the disintegration of nations more than fanaticism and adventurism. He urged Israelis to reject Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s policies, likening him to the Roman emperor which popular legend accuses of fiddling while ancient Rome burned.
“The question that persists in this issue that is preoccupying the world today is: did today’s Nero...read the history of his nation and the lessons it tells,” Prince Abdullah said.
“What he is doing in Palestine is the (product) of dream-like thinking that will not achieve security for his people...it is a type of thinking that requires his people to ask themselves ‘where is our prime minister leading us to?’”
Prince Abdullah expressed hope that the Middle East peace plan he floated recently will not stumble amid the battles of blood and destruction. “This (violence) is a thorny path. It will not give his people security. It plants hatred and shatters security,” the prince told a gathering of intellectuals.
Prince Abdullah said Israel can never live in peace and security except “through justice, and through giving the Palestinian people and other Arabs their legitimate historical rights.”
Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulmohsen Al-Twaijri, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard, deputized for the crown prince at the symposium, which was also attended by Jose Eguren, UN Resident Representative in Riyadh on behalf of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Ambassador Sa’aduddin Al-Tayyab, representing Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz, secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). A large gathering of Islamic scholars and prominent figures from both the East and the West were present.
The crown prince said Islam is against all forms of intolerance and fanaticism nd quoted a Qur’anic verse to drive home the point: “O mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is he who has Taqwa (piety).” (Surah 49, Al-Hujarat, v.13).
Welcoming the symposium on “Islam and dialogue among civilizations,” the UN secretary-general, in his message, said Islam is “one of the world’s great religions and has been a guiding spirit of more than one great civilization, from the great age of the Abbasid Caliphate when Arabic was the main language from Spain to Central Asia to the magnificent cultures of Mogul India, Safavid Iran and the Ottoman Empire.”
He said it was Iranian President Muhammad Khatami who, in a speech delivered at the UN General Assembly in 1998, called for a dialogue among civilizations. At his suggestion, the General Assembly proclaimed the year 2001 as the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations.
Dr. Abdullah ibn Abdulmohsen Al-Turki, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, said the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) prove that Islam advocates counseling and dialogue among different cultures to resolve differences of opinion. He said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd has already set up Islamic centers in the US, Europe and elsewhere to act as a fountainhead for the promotion of Islam for a better understanding between the two societies.
“There are widespread misconceptions about Islam. Western scholars can participate in joint research to carry forward the process of inter-faith dialogue,” he observed.
Dr. Al-Turki said while the Qur’an calls upon its followers to accept Jews and Christians as the People of the Book, Christians have accepted Muslims “only as a group. However, they don’t accept Islam as the last religion inspired by God.” He commended the initiative of the Vatican in calling upon the Christians to understand the message of Islam.
