WORLD CONFERENCE ON DIALOGUE King Abdullah Highlights Value of Religion in Modern Societies

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, along with his host King Juan Carlos of Spain, opened the World Conference on Dialogue on July 16 by underlining the common points of the three main monotheistic religions.

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June 21, 2022
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, along with his host King Juan Carlos of Spain, opened the World Conference on Dialogue on July 16 by underlining the common points of the three main monotheistic religions.
“We all believe in one unique God. We gather today to say that religions have to be a means to overcome the differences and they shall not lead to disputes,” declared King Abdullah.
The three-day conference focused on four major themes:  importance of dialogue in human society, foundations of religious and civilizational dialogue, common human aspects in dialogue, and evaluation and promotion of dialogue.
King Abdullah continued: “If we wish this historic meeting to succeed, we must focus on the common denominators that unite us, namely, deep faith in God, noble principles, and lofty moral values, which constitute the essence of religion.”
The Saudi monarch stressed the value of religion in modern societies: “Terrorism, disintegration of families, drugs, exploitation of the weak: all these are a consequence of a spiritual void.”
Chaired by Dr. Bawa Jain, Secretary General, Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious Foundations, the first session of the conference on July 16 discussed the study of dialogue: its religious and civilizational foundations.
Dr. Hussain Hamid Hassan, legal adviser at Dubai Islamic Bank spoke on “Dialogue in Islam” in which he confirmed the originality of dialogue’s methodology in Islam. To make his point home, he cited the Qur’anic verse: “Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight not for (your) faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.”
Dr. Hassan was of the opinion that this verse and other similar verses constitute a call for good coexistence with others, for peaceful dealing with them and preservation of their rights. He indicated that Jihad becomes legitimate for the repulsion of aggression and for defending other legitimate objectives, citing examples from history of Muslims in their safe and positive coexistence with others.
Dr. Najeeb Gabriel, head of Egyptian Organization for Human Rights deliberated on “Dialogue in Christianity”. He said essence of religions is love, good manners and rejection of injustice, which are considered common denominators upon which people agree. Dr. Gabriel concluded that fighting and conflict were not in fact caused by religions but raised by people who exercised selfishness. He underlined that dialogue will not be accepted if it is either conditional or practised with superiority and conceitedness, because it is rightly seen as an indispensable means for reaching the sublime human objectives.
Dr. Gabriel also underlined the necessity of respecting the cultural and religious specialties of others and warned that difference will only lead mankind to the vicious circle of conflict. To support his view, Dr. Gabriel suggested an appropriate mechanism for promotion of dialogue that included the employment of good exhortation in Dawah, discussion of divergence points and consecration of human rights as well as individuals’ right to work. He suggested to the organisers to form a committee comprising representatives from all religions to monitor violations of religious human rights.
Dr. Gabriel also called for the encouragement of the culture of tolerance and acceptance of others and peace, as the guarantee for the future of our children lies in this attitude.
Speaking on “Dialogue in Judaism,” Rabbi Arthur Schneier, founder and chairman of Conscience Foundation Call, USA, stressed that dialogue is a necessity and said that we have no option but to insist upon its pursuance.
He spoke about Judaism, indicating that texts of the Jewish scripture call people to dialogue with others and deal with them kindly. He also underlined that sagacious followers of other religions and he reject the idea of the clash of civilization because it contradicts what Allah demanded from us in the area of coexistence. He stressed that we should commence building bridges among civilizations and reject injustice, violence, hatred, and fanaticism as well as condemn the attack directed against Islam by various mass media.
M.M. Verma, director of Interfaith Foundation, India, spoke on “Dialogue in Oriental Creeds” in which he emphasised his belief that there are a number of sound human values in every religion and that dialogue aims at the dissemination of love and peace as well as at prevention of the culture of hatred that sometimes exploits the cloak of religions.
The speakers at the first session answered the questions raised by audience who also listened to comments and interventions made by individuals concerned with the issue of Dialogue.
The second session of the Conference opened on July 17 with Dr. Saleh Ibn Abdullah Ibn Humaid, Speaker of Shoura Council in Saudi Arabia in the chair. It discussed Dialogue and Its Significance in Human Society. Four research papers were presented in the session.
Opened the session, Dr. Ibn Humaid laid emphasis on a number of human terminologies, the significance of which was agreed upon by saner people from all nations and communities.
Rev. Nichiko Niwano, President Japan Committee of World Parliament for Religion and Peace, spoke on Dialogue and Interaction of Civilizations and Cultures. He emphasised the need of narrowing down the gap between different peoples, so that they don’t become victims of reactions, anger and hatred. He clarified that purposeful dialogue should be based on respect of others’ characteristics, confirming the existence of many common values between various religions and philosophies.
He commended the Makkah Appeal made by the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue as important element for holding dialogue.
Dr. Abdelhadi Al-Tazi, Member of Royal Academy in Morocco deliberated on Dialogue and Its Impact on International Relations. He highlighted the rich heritage of Muslims in respect of international relations.
Jose De Venecia Jr., Former Speaker of the Philippine parliament presented his paper on Impact of Religions on dissemination of Ethics in the World. He called upon the United Nations to agree on establishing a council of religions. He said that the world is faced with corruption in different areas of the public life, and it is necessary to seek the help of religion so that it can play its role in reformation of the society. He called upon the followers of various religions to cooperate for consolidation of moral values.
Dr. Redwan Naef Al-Sayyed, Chairman, International Institute for Islamic Studies, Lebanon spoke on Dialogue in the Face of Calls for Clash of Civilization and End of History. He said the concepts such clash of civilization and end of history have now become a part of history, as the saner people of the world have rejected these concepts. He called upon people to dialogue and coalition of civilizations, as the international conflict is basically a colonial and political issue. He suggested that World Conference on Dialogue should issue a constituent document which includes the establishment of a secretariat to put together the concerned working groups in order to make positive influence on the world order through the human commonalities agreed by all.
The third session of the Conference on Dialogue opened on July 18 in the presence of Dr. Abdullah Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League.
The session, which was chaired by Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary-General of World Conference of Religions for Peace in the United States, discussed Human Commonalities in Areas of Dialogue. Four research papers were presented in the session. Chairman of the session highlighted the significance of the conference.
Rev. Miquel Angel Ayuso Guixot, Rector, Pontifical Institute of Arabic Studies in the Vatican City presented a paper on Protection of Environment as a Common Human Duty. He looked into the nature of relationship between Muslims and Christians, pointing out that both sides agree on man being the vicegerent of God on earth and it is the common duty of human beings to establish peace in the world. He said that adherence to the teachings of religion helps in preservation of environment, and called upon nations and countries of the world to take inspirations from the religious teachings to protect the environment.
Shankaracharya Onkar Anand Saraswati Maharaj presented his paper on Role of Religion and Family in Stability of Society. He said that adherence to religions would help the people to come closer to each other, and it would also help in cohesion of the family and the human society.
Dr. Nihad Awad, Executive Director Council on American-Islamic Relations, USA, presented his paper on Ethical Reality in Contemporary Human Society. He said that ethical values differ from one society to another, nevertheless they are similar to each other. He pointed out that moral concepts are universal values that we find in Islam as well as in other religions. He clarified that extraordinary freedom has led to many diseases such as AIDS; however, these can be treated through dissemination of religious values.
Sheikh Muahmmad Ali Taskheeri, Secretary-General, World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought in Iran presented his paper on Significance of Religion and Values in Combating Crimes, Drugs and Corruption.
He said that man is the prime source of transformation for preservation of human society and for better future, emphasising that he needs to depend upon established rules and values. He also highlighted the significance of dialogue in order to agree on values that protect human beings from corruption. He pointed out that dialogue is a logical means of mutual understanding and the real dialogue is based on respect of others.
At the end of the conference the Muslim World League adopted Madrid Declaration. It recalled the objectives of the UN Charter and the Declaration of UN General Assembly in 1994, which call for promotion of dialogue and tolerance and the spread of the culture of peace.
The document also commend the Appeal of Makkah issued by the World Islamic Conference on Dialogue, which preceded the Madrid Conference on Dialogue.
The participants build on “the agreement among the followers of religions and prominent cultures regarding the value of dialogue as the best way for mutual understanding and cooperation in human relations as well as in peaceful coexistence among nations.”
The conference also adopted the following recommendations on the basis of the principles mentioned in the Madrid Declaration:
• To reject theories that call for the clash of civilizations and cultures and to warn of the danger of campaigns seeking to deepen conflicts and destabilize peace and security.
• To enhance common human values, to cooperate in their dissemination within societies and to solve the problems that hinder their achievement.
• To disseminate the culture of tolerance and understanding through dialogue so as to be a framework for international relations through holding conferences and symposia, as well as developing relevant cultural, educational and media programs.
• To agree on international guidelines for dialogue among the followers of religions and cultures through which moral values and ethical principles, which are common denominators among such followers, so as to strengthen stability and achieve prosperity for all humans.
• To work on urging governmental and non-governmental organizations to issue a document that stipulates respect for religions and their symbols, the prohibition of their denigration and the repudiation of those who commit such acts.