RIYADH, 25 March 2008 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal called for holding more dialogues among different religions and cultures at a time when anger continues to simmer in the Muslim world following Western attacks on Islam and its scriptures.
“Rather than retreating from the challenges, different groups should enter into honest dialogue with people who hold different beliefs,” said Prince Saud in a speech read out by Nizar Obaid Madani, minister of state for foreign affairs, at a seminar in Riyadh on Sunday night. “The collaboration among religious communities can help sustain humane relations and contribute to the eradication of racism and differences.”
The prince said: “Inter-religious dialogue offers the hope of genuine mutual enrichment that can provide us with the resources necessary to confront conflicts.”
The call was made at the inaugural session of a dialogue between “Japan and the Islamic world,” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The opening ceremony of this sixth round of the dialogue was attended by Osamu Onu, Japanese vice minister for foreign affairs; Ambassador Saad A. Alammar, director of Institute of Diplomatic Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Jamil M. Merdad, chairman of the Department of Islamic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.
The first session of the seminar chaired by Yuzo Itagaki, chairman of Tokyo Foundation and president of Japan Initiative, focused on religions in the context of globalization.
On his part, Kato said: “Religion will now play a larger role in filling the yawning gap that modern civilization has created between man and other life forms.”
“In order for religions to catch up with modern civilization and effectively deal with its pathologies, I believe it is important for religions to explain the core aspects of their teachings,” Kato noted.
“It is expected that this seminar will contribute to promoting the mutual understanding between Japan and Islamic countries through free discussions by intellectuals from both sides,” said Jamil Merdad, chief of the department of Islamic affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
