King Abdullah’s dialogue initiative
THE late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz ordered in1424H (August 2003) the establishment of King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue. Since its formation the center has been trying to create a suitable atmosphere for dialogue between various groups of the society, to realize public interests and strengthen national unity and integration, based on Islam.
The center was established with the following objectives:
• Strengthen national unity within the framework of Islamic faith through purposeful dialogue.
• Contribute to the creation of a true Islamic voice based on moderate views, inside and outside the Kingdom through constructive dialogue.
• Address national issues of social, cultural, political, economic and educational importance and discuss them through intellectual channels.
• Deepen the dialogue concept and its principles in the community to make it a way of life and a method for dealing with various issues.
• Broaden the participation of community members and groups in national dialogue and strengthen the role of civil and social institutions in order to achieve justice, equality and freedom of expression within the framework of Shariah.
• Activate national dialogue in coordination with relevant institutions.
• Strengthen communication channels for intellectual dialogue with institutions and individuals abroad.
• Develop strategic visions for national dialogue to ensure good results.
This was followed by a conference, called by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on 12/11/1429H (2008), to promote dialogue between the followers of different faiths and cultures under the patronage of the United Nations, which was attended by several leaders of Arab, Muslim and European countries.
The dialogue conference in New York was the continuation of a similar conference held in the Spanish capital Madrid, and the international Islamic dialogue conference in Makkah. All these conferences were supported by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The Makkah conference attended by prominent Islamic scholars and leaders from around the world set the basis for dialogue to reach mutual understanding among people of different faith.
The objective of the conference was to achieve happiness, justice, peace and security and enhance mutual understanding and coexistence among nations and their people. It also called for the promotion of a dialogue culture, spreading of virtue and wisdom, rejecting extremism and terrorism, giving importance to family values and spreading moral values shared by the three monotheistic religions.
In yet another initiative, the king proposed the establishment of a center for dialogue between various Islamic sects, which offers a historic opportunity to avoid conflicts and civil wars. The king announced the proposal during the Islamic Solidarity Summit held in Makkah on Aug. 14-15.
The proposal supplements a resolution adopted by the 2005 Islamic Summit in Makkah, preventing takfir (declaring as infidels) the followers of four Sunni schools of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafie and Hanbali) and two Shiite schools, (Jaafari and Zaidi) as well as Abadi and Dhahiri schools of thought as all the followers of these schools of thought are Muslims and it is not allowed to call them infidel.
The proposed center will be in Riyadh, which is considered the capital of Salafism. By making this proposal King Abdullah is rewriting Islamic history, emphasizing that Saudi Arabia opens its heart and extends its hands to all Muslims, treating them equally, to hold dialogue and work together in order to rebuild the history of the Islamic Ummah, on the basis of Islamic values, following its teachings. This will help Muslims to exist and cooperate with followers of different religious sects, inspired by the Qur’anic verse “There is no compulsion in religion,” and the Prophet’s Hadith that “A good ruler is the one who unites people while an evil ruler is the one who divides them.”
The role of members of the Islamic Ummah including scholars now should be to back the king and support the proposed center to achieve harmony, unity and responsibility, especially during this historic situation of the Ummah. God has rightly pointed out: “And fall into no disputes. Lest ye lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering; for God is with those who patiently persevere. (8:46)
I pray to God that He may protect Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and support his initiative by providing sincere men to fulfill his and our aspirations.
n Courtesy of Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper
