RIYADH, 14 October 2003 — Interior Minister Prince Naif last night opened the Human Rights in Peace and War conference with a speech highlighting Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the Shariah and the humanitarian principles laid down by Islam 1,400 years ago.
Held at the King Fahd Cultural Center, the opening ceremony was attended by intellectuals, lawyers and human rights experts from Arab and Muslim countries and beyond.
Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailem, the president of the Red Crescent Society which is organizing the three-day event, in his keynote address said the fact that Saudi Arabia was hosting such a conference reflected the importance the government placed on human rights.
The conference came at a time of global crisis where the entire international community was in desperate need of discussing the topic, especially since genocide, killings, violence and occupation had become commonplace in today’s world.
Al-Suwailem said the conference would discuss some 70 papers.
Prince Naif in his opening address said Saudi Arabia’s position on human rights had its roots in the implementation of the Shariah, which protected human rights and was capable of ensuring the welfare of human beings both in this life and in the hereafter.
“Islam cemented the principles of justice, peace, and harmony 1,400 years ago before any international laws were even thought of,” Prince Naif said.
He said Islam and peace had been the message of the Kingdom, the home of Islam, since its establishment. He said Saudi Arabia’s constitution stressed the protection of human rights according to the Shariah, adding that Islam had cemented its global principles of peace and harmony for all mankind.
The minister rejected accusations from abroad that the Kingdom violated human rights. “These are baseless accusations,” he said.
Such groups, he said, should look to their own human rights record before pointing an accusing finger at others.
Prince Naif said one of the most glaring examples of human rights violations was the occupation of the Palestinian territories and was taking place right under the eyes of the world in the face of all UN resolutions.
