MADRID: Mustafa Ceric, the mufti of Bosnia, has said that the Madrid Interfaith Conference, which was organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) following a call by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, was aimed at saving mankind from total destruction.
“The conference called by King Abdullah aims to save the human race — irrespective of religion, race or nationality — from moral degeneration,” he said, speaking to Arab News.
“The prophets and religions appeared in the East and the West learned from them. But, in the modern times the East has been learning from the West,” he said.
The mufti said over the past 200 years, Muslims have been living in a state of anguish. “About 70 percent of the refugees of the world are Muslims. Most of the wars are being fought in Muslim lands though they do not initiate any attack on others. On top of the injustice and humiliation meted out to Muslims, Westerners link Muslims with terrorism. This contradiction creates a sense of insecurity and discontentment among Muslims,” he said.
Commenting on the importance of the dialogue, the mufti said, “King Abdullah’s initiative has brought back peace of mind and self-confidence to Muslims. There is no need to fear dialogue with other religions and cultures when we are confident about our religion and culture. Therefore, we welcome dialogue. We should display to the world the shining features of Islam and its noble values. When we interact with others, our positive qualities should make an impact on them, while we in turn should be influenced by those features of theirs which are acceptable to Islam.”
Moroccan historian Abdul Hadi Al-Tazi, who also participated in the conference, said the forum was the realization of the desire of the Muslim world to be acceptable on the international scene, particularly in their relations with Christians, Jews and followers of other religions.
“The Madrid Conference would wide open doors and dispel clouds of misunderstanding and mistrust between religions,” the historian said.
Meanwhile, MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki conveyed his thanks and appreciation to King Abdullah on behalf of the pan-Islamic body and participants of the conference for making the event a huge success.
“They expressed their appreciation to the notable position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia among the comity of nations and its pioneering role in forging better human relations,” Al-Turki said in a cable to the king. He also sent a copy of the declaration made at the conclusion of the Madrid conference to the king.
Al-Turki also sent cables of thanks to Crown Prince Sultan, minister of defense and aviation, and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal.
