Editor's Note:
A three day conference that brought together religious leaders from across the Muslim world ended yesterday in Mecca with a call to establish an international center for interfaith dialogue and to bring together officials from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths and other religions "to agree on a format for a fruitful world dialogue that would contribute to solving problems faced today by mankind."
According to the AP, "The conference .. was designed to reconcile brewing discontent between Islam's two main branches, Sunni and Shiite, before the kingdom launches a landmark initiative for talks with adherents of other monotheistic faiths. In a statement reported by the official Saudi Press Agency, the scholars stressed the need for dialogue with other religions to give a 'correct picture of Islam' and to reach 'out to other sects of Islam, which will lead to uniting the nation.' They also called for 'solving the problems and disagreements that might take place among Muslims and other (non-Muslims) .. and to achieve an understanding among civilizations and human cultures.'"
Today we provide for your consideration a wrap up article by Badea Abu Al-Naja, who has been following this conference for Arab News online, and more news links and photos posted to the SUSRIS Special Section on this topic. [Links below]
Interfaith Summit Spreads Islam�s Message of Peace
Badea Abu Al-Naja
MAKKAH, 7 June 2008 � The international conference on interfaith dialogue that ended yesterday at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah called on all people, irrespective of their race, religion, culture or country, to come together to promote a culture of peace and tolerance.
The conference ended with the reading of the official statement by Abdul Rahman Al-Zaid, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL), which organized the conference.
�The conference has been held at a time when the world faces countless challenges that threatens the very existence of mankind. The conference affirms that Islam has a solution to all these crises and it is calling upon all Muslims, jointly with other people, to find solutions to all issues,� the statement said.
The call to have Muslims and non-Muslims work together to solve problems afflicting the world came with a recommendation to set up a center for dialogue to be named the �King Abdullah International Center for Cultural Relations� as well as the establishment of the King Abdullah International Prize for Cultural Dialogue.
The statement also urged Muslims to work with other cultures, irrespective of their views, to come up with solutions.
�The discussions, held in several sessions, focused on the Islamic roots of dialogue, the methodology and rules of dialogue, with whom the dialogue should be made and the topics for dialogue,� Al-Zaid said, reading from the prepared statement.
The statement also stressed the need for people to unite in their efforts against the waste of natural resources and the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction.
In addition, the conference appealed to all people, regardless of their ideology, religion or ethnic background, to propagate noble values that would end the present moral degeneration. It also called for concerted action to eradicate corruption and alleviate poverty.
The first session urged various groups and schools of thoughts within Islam to close their ranks and achieve unity of the Ummah. Muslims should attempt to understand other religions and cultures and strive for peaceful coexistence with others, the statement said.
The three-day conference, which was opened by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Wednesday, brought together Muslim scholars and media personalities from across the world. It ended with a note of thanks to King Abdullah for initiating and supporting the summit.
Source: Arab News
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