A leading Islamic scholar Thursday lauded the efforts of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in bringing about the unity of the Ummah and world peace by bridging the gap between civilizations through his initiative of dialogue among monotheistic religions. Talking to Saudi Gazette, Dr. Yasiym Muzadi, Secretary General of the Indonesia-based International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS), said King Abdullah has a golden heart and he commands the respect of Muslims because of his stress on a tolerant and moderate approach to international problems. “The King respects all people, both in and outside the Kingdom,” the scholar said. Muzadi was in the Kingdom to participate in the Islamic conference organized by the Muslim World League in Makkah this week. The conference endeavored to find solutions to the various problems faced by the Muslim Ummah. Proper education, Muzadi said, is the only solution to the myriad issues facing the Ummah. “Better education will produce a better generation which will be capable of tackling the challenges with reason and logic,” he said. Commenting on efforts of some countries to subjugate Muslims by spreading the idea of democracy, he said interference in the affairs of other countries is “unacceptable.” The aim of these countries is to sow discord between the governments and the people, he said. “Democracy cannot be imposed from outside. This has to come from within, only then will it be successful,” he said. “The notion to impose democracy in the Muslim World is a legacy of the Cold War. There are some nations which do not themselves practice democracy but preach to others on its merits,” he added. About attempts in some quarters to distort the image of Islam, Muzadi said it is for Muslims themselves to protect and imlement the true Islamic teachings. “If they (Muslims) strictly adhere to the true Islamic teachings, no power on earth will be able to succeed in bringing disunity among them,” he said. Muzadi urged Muslim countries to offer immediate assistance to the people in the Horn of Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia) suffering from an unprecedented drought. “The wealth of Muslims including Zakah, Waqf and sadqa (charity) must by pooled to help the needy and the poor,” he said. __
