Saudi Gazette “King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia: Leader of Consequence,” by Dr. S. Rob Sobhani, was launched at a special book event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Feb. 24, 2010. Dr. Sobhani, spoke about his book, and highlighted his perspective on aspects of King Abdullah's character. “I suppose what differentiates King Abdullah from the other leaders [in the Middle East] is that he's honest,” he said. The Saudi Gazette is privileged to have been granted an interview with Dr. Sobhani about his work. Today we publish excerpts in the first of a three-part series dealing with: interfaith relations, world stability and domestic reform. Knight of faith and anti-extremism King Abdullah offered an outstretched hand to other faiths, engaging in a historic meeting with the Pope in November 2007 at the Vatican and calling for a dialogue of faiths centered on his fundamental belief in peaceful coexistence. King Abdullah's travel to the Vatican was the first such visit for a Saudi king. The World Conference on Dialogue, sponsored by King Abdullah and hosted by King Juan Carlos of Spain in the summer of 2008, brought together hundreds of leaders from the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and other faiths together in a historic gathering that broke barriers and promoted greater understanding. King Abdullah literally offered an outstretched hand to all of the 500 or so delegates, shaking hands and listening to their views in a sun-filled Spanish government palace for hours. In a speech to the Madrid delegates, King Abdullah said:“I come to you from the place dearest to the hearts of all Muslims. This message declares that Islam is a religion of moderation and tolerance; a message that calls for constructive dialogue among followers of religions; a message that promises to open a new page for humanity in which – God willing – concord will replace conflict.” King Abdullah went on to denounce extremism and violence as anathema to all religions, called for a vigorous effort to reach common ground, and urged conference attendees to “let our dialogue be a triumph of belief over disbelief, of virtue over vice, of justice over iniquity, of peace over conflicts and wars, and of human brotherhood over racism.” A few months later, in November 2008, King Abdullah co-hosted a dialogue of faiths at the New York headquarters of the United Nations. Officially titled the “Culture of Peace” conference, former British prime minister Tony Blair called the King's decision to spearhead the dialogue at the UN “bold, courageous and potentially far-reaching.” In an article published in the International Herald Tribune on Nov. 12, 2008, entitled “King Abdullah and the Skeptics”, Blair argued forcefully that “the King's dialogue initiative has the enormous potential to undermine the appeal of extremists who only seek confrontation.” King Abdullah later met privately for two hours with a small group of American religious leaders, ranging from Baptist preachers to Jewish rabbis, Muslim imams and heads of Sikh Indian communities, to Greek Orthodox clerics and Catholic priests. Emotions filled the room as King Abdullah told the attendees: “We are all brothers and sisters in humanity. Let us join hands to fight the ‘deviants' who cause violence and sow hatred in the name of our peaceful religions.” High praise Meanwhile, world leaders from President Hu Jintao of China to US President Barack Obama to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered high praise for the Saudi monarch. In fact, President Obama visited King Abdullah in Riyadh for consultations before he delivered his landmark address to the Muslim World in Cairo on June 5, 2009. Indeed, in his entire speech, President Obama only mentioned one leader from the Muslim World: King Abdullah. He said, “Faith should bring us together. That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews. That is why we welcome efforts like Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's Interfaith dialogue.” A few months later, in a historic speech in Makkah before 57 Muslim leaders at an Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting, King Abdullah delivered a similar message to his fellow Muslim leaders: honest, visionary, heartfelt, critical, and forward-looking. While praising Islam's golden era that spawned “singular achievements in jurisprudence, intellectual endeavors, the sciences and literature and provided the decisive catalyst in bringing enlightenment to the dark ages,” he offered an honest assessment of the ills affecting Muslim states today, and called for his fellow leaders to look toward a better future, a Muslim renaissance that is prosperous, educationally advanced and moderate. It was an extraordinary speech, one of dozens of such speeches the King has delivered on a domestic and international scale that have laid out an inspiring vision of the future, provided an honest and unflinching lament of the ills of the world, and called for practical steps to achieve peace and development. Most importantly, King Abdullah has backed his words with wide-ranging actions from peace summits to development aid to robust diplomacy toward solving conflicts. Within Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah has pushed back successfully against extremists whom he refers to as “deviants” whose exploitation of the “peaceful and moderate nature of Islam” puts them at war with Islam itself, and generally launched the Kingdom into a new direction that embraces modernization without threatening authentic traditions and culture. – To be continued __
