Good beginning for humanity

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah receives a Christian religious leader at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday. (SPA) NEW YORK: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday urged world leaders to open a new era of peace, leaving behind the bloody past, and mobilize their resources to fight poverty, provide treatment to patients and boost development. The king made this comment while speaking to leaders of different faiths during a special General Assembly session on interfaith dialogue at the United Nations headquarters here. "I hope that this dialogue would be a good beginning for humanity ... The days and years that have passed will not come back ... We had enough of killings, enmity and rights violations," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as saying. "If countries in the world had turned to peace and kept away from wars and conflicts and spent their time and energy to fight poverty and engage in humanitarian work we would not have seen these diseases and poverty," the king said. He said all religions call for brotherhood and harmony and encourage doing good deeds for the elderly, the poor, the needy and the sick. "The world has now started thinking about the reasons behind bloodshed and enmity. Religions promote kindness. They have nothing to do with violence. "The humanity is in need of people like you to guide them and make them understand the facts," the king said and emphasized the need to preserve the family system intact. The participants representing various faiths commended King Abdullah's efforts to promote interfaith dialogue. "The dialogue Your Majesty started in Madrid as well as your presence in New York reaffirm your commitment to religious moderation," a Jewish leader said. Responding to a comment made by another participant on the election of a biracial African-American as president of the United States, King Abdullah said the election of Barack Obama proved that the people of America are democratic. "We hope the new president would do good for the whole humanity and I expect the same from all world leaders," the king added. One delegate announced the plan to establish an Islamic peace foundation in the US by the end of this year, adding that the foundation would work for translating the king's initiative into action. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised King Abdullah, calling the conference "a truly inspiring initiative for global harmony." An international effort was needed to confront the rising tide of communal strife and religious extremism, Ban said. "Extremist ideologies are on the rise. Societies are more polarized. Anti-Semitism remains a scourge. Islamophobia has emerged as a new term for an old and terrible form of prejudice," the UN chief said. Jordan's King Abdallah said it was impossible to talk about interfaith harmony without resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "I can think of no more effective way to ease East-West and interfaith tensions than to end this divisive conflict," he said. A string of Arab leaders said Islam was falsely accused of backing terrorism. They said their religion calls for moderation and tolerance and eschews extremism, violence and bigotry. "As leaders and peoples, we must assume our historical responsibilities to examine our painful reality through a serious and sincere dialogue between people, religions and cultures," Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said. In her speech, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines rallied world leaders to pursue a "broader interfaith dialogue" to foster solidarity among civilizations, citing the gains of her country's policy. Arroyo, however, gave a stern warning to extremists saying: "We must not mistake tolerance and understanding of other faiths and belief systems as a blank check for abuse. We will never accept violence cloaked in religion by anyone at anytime." Introducing a draft resolution on "promotion of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace," Arroyo said one of the resolution's most relevant points was the affirmation that mutual understanding and inter-religious dialogue were important components of the culture of peace. The high-level Culture of Peace Conference, convened by General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, sought to promote a global dialogue about religions, cultures, and common values. Cardinal Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Holy See, extended the good wishes of Pope Benedict XVI, who said the international community needed the gathering. "The United Nations must be a school for peace," said Tauran, adding that all member states were equal at the United Nations. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said turning to dialogue to settle existing conflicts, or defuse simmering ones, would not yield results unless trust had been woven into the process. "Ongoing oppression in the occupied Arab territories questioned the credibility of any dialogue," he added.

Arab News