On Oct. 5, Saudi Arabia hosted the annual conference in Mina, attended by heads of state and heads of delegations performing Haj from all Muslim countries. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah chose this unique occasion to deliver a new and powerful message, the strongest yet, about combating terrorism, and the need to confront extremism, which breeds intolerance and leads to terrorism.
His address before the conference was delivered by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense. The conference took place in Mina, one of the holiest sites for Haj rituals. Pilgrims visit Mina first at the beginning of their Haj and then return to camp out there, in tents, for three days of prayers and meditation, before concluding their pilgrimage and returning home.
Over 2 million pilgrims performed Haj this year and hundreds of millions of Muslims the world over watched on TV screens, admiring, with perhaps a touch of envy, their fellow Muslims who were able to make it to the Haj this year.
It was a brilliant choice of venue for sending the message, as the Mina conference was one of the most watched TV events, especially the royal message that opened the proceedings.
From the cradle of Islam, and among the millions of pilgrims performing the Haj, the king reminded them of Islam’s call, fourteen centuries ago, for tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
He also reminded them of the main purpose of Haj: Pilgrims stand up as one before God, without adornment, dressed in simple, unsown sheets, to pray for divine guidance and grace, and beg Allah to cleanse them from their sins, so they could return to their homes “pure of sin as when they were first born.”
The king then recalled the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) Farewell Sermon, in March 632 AD, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) set forth Islam’s first principles of tolerance, love and mercy, ethnic and racial equality and protection of women. The king’s address cited the Prophet’s emphatic injunction for the sanctity of human life and dignity.
Noting that finding peace and fighting terrorism required dialogue, the king said that dialogue was necessary for saving lives and ending divisiveness, ignorance and extremism. King Abdullah, of course, has been a leading voice in nurturing inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue. It was his initiative to establish King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) in October 2011 in Vienna, Austria, to promote dialogue and tolerance.
Saudi Arabia was “determined to stay the course in fighting terrorism, extremism and zealotry. We will not rest until we defeat them and destroy the misguided groups that use Islam as a cover for personal gain, defiling its name and message of tolerance,” King Abdullah said in the Mina address.
However, for dialogue to succeed, he added, “We need to provide the right environment for success, including the right upbringing at home. Mothers have the greatest mission of all. I hope also that Muslim scholars and intellectuals would themselves become the best models in dialogue, tolerance and kindness, remembering what Prophet Muhammad said, during his Farewell Sermon, about the sanctity of human life.”
Schools have an equal task: “Teachers should encourage their students to accept diversity, and nurture a healthy environment for dialogue with others unlike ourselves. Curriculum is an important vehicle to teach students that Islam is a religion of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and love, not hatred and exclusion.”
The king made an important link between terrorism and extremist ideologies, saying, “Zealotry and extremism have led to terrorism, which requires us to work together to fight and defeat them.”
After making the important point that terrorism is antithetical to Islam and all other religions, the king’s address delivered the strongest message yet on combating terrorism: “Terrorism is a deceased limb of society that has no cure except amputation. We are determined to continue our endeavor to uproot it without flagging or delay, to protect our sons and daughters from falling victims to extremist ideologies.”
King Abdullah concluded his address by re-setting the problem and expressing Saudi determination to deal with it at home and abroad: “It is shameful what we witness daily of conflict, hatred, spilling of innocent blood and violation of people’s rights to dignity and honor. It is the more insulting when those violations are committed in the name of Islam, the religion of peace, mercy and tolerance. But we should not remain silent or passive. We need to stand up against those violations, and against the desecration of the name of Islam. We need to unite Muslims to extinguish the flames of hatred, sedition and divisiveness, so that all Muslims, and the world, can live in peace, security and love.”
Saudi Arabia has backed up these words with action. It has joined the military effort to deal with the so-called Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. In addition, support for moderate forces in Syria is being increased to enable them to do their part in defeating those groups, and ending the nightmare of the Assad regime, which has served as a catalyst for extremists and terrorists.
Domestically, Saudi Arabia has beefed up its efforts to combat terrorism by apprehending terrorists, destroying their cells and bringing them to justice.
For the most difficult part of the effort the battle, which is combating extremism, the king’s message in Mina sets the tone. It is a long and arduous task, requiring the support of all: Parents, teachers, preachers, writers, intellectuals, opinion makers and community leaders. That part of the battle has just started.
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