JEDDAH, 4 August 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday took a further step toward fostering a national dialogue between people who hold different views by establishing a center for national dialogue.
Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, announced in a televised speech that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd had approved the establishment of the center, to be known as the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue. The center will temporarily operate from King Abdul Aziz Library and use its facilities and resources.
“I have no doubt the center and the continuation of dialogue under its auspices are a historic achievement that will secure a channel for the responsible expression of opinion. This, in turn, will have an impact on the fight against extremism and provide an atmosphere where considered views and new ideas that reject terrorism and extremist thought can emerge,” the crown prince said. Last June, the King Abdul Aziz Library witnessed the convening of the first national dialogue meeting, the National Forum for Dialogue, which lasted for four days and drew religious scholars and intellectuals from all walks of life. The group later met with the crown prince and presented him with a summary of the main points of their discussion, which emphasized rational debate, frankness and objectivity, while highlighting the importance of adopting moderate language when discussing Islamic issues.
The forum was chaired by the president of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, Sheikh Saleh Al-Hussayin. One of its recommendations was the establishment of a national center for dialogue to serve as a think tank, organizing meetings and conducting research. The participants called on the crown prince to formally adopt the proposal.
In his speech, the crown prince described the convening of the National Forum for Dialogue as an “important development” and said the participants “met under the umbrella of Islam and national unity and came out with recommendations that will consolidate adherence to Islamic teachings and national unity.”
He stressed the need for national unity and said the Kingdom achieved the level of security and prosperity it now enjoys by holding fast to its religion and observing national unity, and because it firmly believes in equality among all its people.
“It is by implementing Islamic teachings in all our dealings and holding fast to national unity that we have attained this level of security and prosperity. Any fruitful dialogue should be based on these two foundations. We live by Islam and we can only be successful if we maintain national unity. We will not allow anyone to infringe on our religious principles, and we reject any attempts to shake our national unity,” the crown prince warned.
He said the dialogue should be based on the teachings of the wise leaders of the Kingdom’s past. These leaders, he said, relied on wisdom, reason and advice and observed the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The crown prince expressed confidence that the country’s religious establishment and intellectuals would follow the same path.
“This country takes pride in serving the two holy mosques and in being a focal point for Muslims from all over the world. It should not give a home to ideas that deviate from Islamic principles and will not accept any deviant thinking that distorts the teachings of Islam and employs false slogans to justify evil intentions and terrorize Muslims. The Saudi people will only accept moderation that rejects extremism as much as they reject moral disintegration.”
