Muslim World League behind Saudi "interfaith" conference -largest da'wa group seeks to propagate Islam through dialogue

King Abdullah

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah greets delegates attending the international conference on interfaith dialogue at the conference hall in Royal Al-Safa Palace in Makkah on Wednesday. (SPA)

MAKKAH, 4 June 2008 — Dialogue is the best way to move forward, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said yesterday as Muslim scholars led by Saudi Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh endorsed his call for opening a dialogue with people of other faiths at the start of a historic three-day summit at the Royal Al-Safa Palace.

The king started his address with a prayer to Almighty Allah for the determination and strength to take up the Islamic mission of cordial dialogue with other faiths even if the other side is hostile. The king cited Chapter 16, Verse 125 of the Holy Qur'an: "Invite to the Way of the Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious."

The king said in his opening speech that those amidst Muslims that hold extremist ideologies have compounded the challenges faced by Islam.

"The enemies of Islam target the salient goals of Islam such as tolerance and justice. That is why your brother invited you to assemble here in order to find ways to counter the challenges of isolation, ignorance, narrow vision and convey to the world the broad Islamic messages based on humanitarian principles and away from hostility and aggression."

King Abdullah reminded scholars and thinkers of the purpose of the conference.

"You gathered today to say to the world around us, with confidence, that Allah bestowed upon us," he said. "We are the voice of justice and human moral values, and we are the voice of rational and just coexistence and dialogue, the voice of wisdom and admonition. Allah says, ‘Invite all to the Way of Thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best' and InshaAllah, we will do so."

The Muslim world, he said, should take steps to counter the forces against human progress.

"This invitation from your brother is to counter challenges of rigidity, ignorance, narrow-mindedness and to make the world accommodate the concepts and the prospects of the kind message of Islam without enmity or antagonism... Islam's greatness founded the concepts of dialogue and sets its milestones, which are reflected in Allah's saying, ‘Were Thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee'."

He also said that hearts are filled by faith, tolerance and love.

"Yes, the way to the others is through shared values advocated by the divine messages, which were revealed by Allah for the benefit of humanity to preserve their dignity and promote the ethical values and dealings, which certainly are not in conformity with deception," he said. "These values, which reject treason, alienate crime, combat terrorism and despise lying. These lay the bases for good morals, honesty, truthfulness and justice, and enhance the concepts of family values and its cohesion and ethics, which are slowly diminishing at present and disintegrating ties, and where human beings are distancing themselves from their Lord and the teachings of their religion."

He stressed the importance of the task at hand. "From the vicinity of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, we begin — with the Will of Allah, and, from there, we will move in our dialogue with the others in confidence derived from our faith in Allah and then from knowledge sought from our tolerant religion," the king said. "We will argue in ways that are best; what we agree upon we accept it in our hearts, and what we disagree about we refer to the sublime, saying ‘Lakum Deenakum Waliya Deen' (To you, be your way and to me mine)."

Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani welcomed the king's proposal of engaging people of other faiths but cautioned that Muslims have to close their ranks and not allow their "enemies" to exploit differences among the Islamic schools of thought.

"I am a Shiite, and I spent all my life studying Islam," he told the audience. "And let me tell you here that we (Shias and Sunnis) have 95 percent in common. Why should we then allow the difference of five percent to let our enemies play havoc with?"

Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, the Saudi grand mufti, endorsed the king's project and said the whole Ummah was looking up to the benevolent king to take the lead and bringing different communities of the world together.

"He has taken this step with good intention and this is the only way of propagating the real values of Islam," Al-Asheikh said, adding: "We cannot live in an isolation. We need to cooperate with others to make the most of advancement in all aspects of life."

The summit has brought together some of the most influential scholars, academics and organization leaders in the Muslim world, who all expressed hope and optimism that this meeting of the minds would help improve relations with people of different religious backgrounds or Islamic schools of thought.

"This conference is a historic opportunity," said Muslim World League Secretary-General Abdullah Abdulmohsen Al-Turki. "It brings together leading Islamic scholars and thinkers from across the globe."

"This conference offers a new channel to strengthen cooperation among Muslims," said Al-Azhar University Grand Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi. "It is essential to reduce differences and promote understanding."

In attendance at the inaugural ceremony were many leading scholars of the Muslim world, including Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi from Qatar, Lebanon's Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Rasheed Qabbani, Darul Uloom Deoband's Marghoobur Rahman, Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed and chief of Indian Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Jalaluddin Umri.

Some 600 Muslim intellectuals and academics are attending the summit to work out the details and parameters of the interfaith dialogue. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=110609&d=5&m=6&y=2008&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

King Abdullah talks to Fatima and Yasser, left, the daughter and son of Iran's former President Hashemi Rafsanjani in Makkah on Thursday. Dr. Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, is on his right. (AFP)

MAKKAH, 6 June 2008 — Delegates to the Muslim World League's Interfaith Dialogue Summit expressed a variety of views and priorities yesterday in preparing Islam's position in upcoming talks with leaders of other religions.

"We are working on opening communication and channels of dialogue with followers of divine messages and Eastern ideologies with a view to realizing the message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)," said MWL Secretary-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Turki.

Followers of divine messages clearly referred to Jews and Christians, and Eastern ideologies referred primarily to Hinduism and Buddhism.

During yesterday's sessions, delegates stressed that dialogue with people of other faiths should not be confined to religious leaders. "Yes, we should talk to different independent religious groups, but we should also talk to various personalities who are influential in their respective fields, such as media personalities, intellectuals and academics," said Al-Turki.

He said the idea is to let people of other faiths understand that Prophet Muhammad was sent as a messenger of glad tidings to all of mankind as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Al-Turki said Muslim scholars and academics have acknowledged that followers of other religions have presented good solutions to the many crises facing mankind.

"They cannot and should not be ignored. When we start talking we will be able to build a better mechanism of understanding," he said.

"With dialogue we can confront the forces that instigate people against Islam and consider it an enemy of contemporary civilization."

According to Al-Turki, dialogue is a response to Qur'anic order and a follow-up to Prophetic guidance.

"Dialogue is deep-rooted in our culture ... Islam has clearly explained the principles of dialogue and areas where dialogue is prohibited. The Prophet's guidance is the best example of translating and achieving this dialogue," he said.

Al-Turki said the Makkah-based MWL, which is organizing this historic event at the urging of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, is a nongovernmental organization engaged in clearing misconceptions about Islam. "The MWL strives to unite the ranks of Muslims and promote understanding among followers of other cultures. We reject all acts of violence and terrorism," he added.

Delegates were divided on the possible outcome of the process. "Do whatever you want to do; those who are against Islam will continue to remain so. Their animosity is deep-seated, and they will continue to abuse our religion and our beloved Prophet," said Dr. Aamer Liaquat Hussain, producer and anchor of a popular program called "Aalim Online" on Pakistan's Geo television. He referred to the controversial films and blasphemous cartoons that have angered the Muslim world.

"I am appalled by the severity and the insulting nature of the attack. We Muslims believe in all the Prophets of Allah. We name our children Yaqub and Ishaq," Hussain said. "Can the followers of other religions show us one example of they naming their children Muhammad or Ahmed?"

Shaukat Piracha, a news anchor on Pakistan's Aaj TV, said Muslims have to follow the policy of engagement. "It will pay in the end. Western societies are educated societies. It is the job of our intellectuals to make them understand our sensitivities."

He said disrespect was not reserved just for Islam. "Western societies are highly secular in nature. They make fun of all religions, including their own," Piracha said. "Cracking jokes about religious heroes and prophets is a norm in those societies. ... Through dialogue, we can urge them to understand our point of view. We need to make them realize the intensity of our love for our beloved Prophet (pbuh). We need to sensitize them about our religion. Talking will help."

Professor Akhtarul Wasey of India's Jamia Millia Islamia University felt Muslims should not focus on fringe elements. "There are extremists in all societies, but they are in a minority. We should not hold ourselves back in the face of their onslaught. In fact, we should double up our efforts to reach out to those who are willing to understand our point of view," he said.

At the conference, Wasey underscored the need for learning from the 1,000 years of dialogue that Muslims have been engaged with in Asia. "Here is a fine example in India and Indonesia where multicultural, multilingual, multiracial communities have coexisted for centuries. The Muslim world can make the most of this experience as it goes ahead with process of dialogue with people of other faiths."

Hassan Saleemi and his wife, Habeebah Elahee, who host the popular "Hassan and Habeebah Show" on the UK-based Islam Channel, said the process of dialogue should not involve religious people of other faiths but should instead focus on the secularists and the agnostics. "In the UK, we face problems not from the religious people. They are not insulting Islam ... It is these agnostics and atheists who are problematic," Saleemi said as his wife nodded in agreement. "We are part of many local initiatives, and we interact with many Christian priests ... They are not the problem at all. Of course, there may be some exceptions, but by and large the religious people are not the problem. The problem is this large section of Godless people who insult Islam and criticize Islam. We should devise a way to engage them," he said.

Saleemi said Muslims in Britain and the US should be at the forefront, giving practical shape to all that is being said at the conference. "We are an integral part of those societies; we understand them; we know the problems; we know the cultural sensitivities; therefore, we are in the best possible position to conduct this dialogue."

Saleemi said there should be funding to train journalists of high caliber who can then carry the message of Islam in the mainstream media. "Funding is lacking," he said. "That is one area that needs to be examined."

One American delegate, who gave an impassioned presentation at one of the sessions, said King Abdullah cannot be thanked enough for this historic initiative. "We in the West are bearing the brunt of this attack on Islam," he said. "We understand the need for dialogue because we are suffering. Those living in Muslim majority states may not fully grasp the importance of such a conference. We do, and we thank King Abdullah." http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=110636&d=6&m=6&y=2008&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

JEDDAH, 28 December 2006 — A two-day conference organized by the Makkah-based Muslim World League yesterday called for a consultative commission in order to take legal action against those who abuse Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Islamic sanctities, at local and international courts of justice, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The conference titled "In Defense of the Prophet" called upon Islamic countries and governments to stand united to defend the Islamic faith and its Prophet. It denounced the smear campaigns to tarnish the image of the Prophet and urged Muslims to make all-out efforts to project the true picture of Islam and the great divine teachings of the Prophet.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who presided over the conference, called upon Muslims to follow the Prophet's teachings.

"Our enemies are exploiting Muslims' weak adherence to the Prophet's Sunnah," said Al-Asheikh. "We should not be ashamed of implementing his Sunnah. On the other hand, all Muslims must observe his teachings in all walks of their life."

MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki said the attack on the Prophet was an expression of enmity toward Islam.

"The whole Muslim Ummah, including its leadership, scholars and ordinary people was outraged by such attacks and this again shows the lofty position the Prophet has in their hearts," he said in reference to the Muslim response to cartoons depicting the Prophet.

MWL plans to launch an international program to introduce the Prophet and the conference called for setting up a fund to support the program. "The anti-Islam campaign also intends to trigger a cultural conflict between the Islamic world and the West and create a situation of clash and conflict in place of dialogue and peaceful coexistence," the MWL chief said.

Al-Turki called upon Western countries to protect human rights of Muslim communities and take action against those who create unnecessary fear about Islam by linking it with terrorism and violence.

"The creation of such fears will lead to violating human rights of Muslims and threats to their freedom and security," he said. "It will also have other long-term negative impacts."

Jamal Badawi, a Canadian-Muslim expert on Islam, spoke about the Prophet's outstanding influence on human history.

"There is no other personality who has made such a positive impact on history," he told the conference. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=77639&d=28&m=12&y=2006