TODAY Saudi Arabia celebrates the 7th anniversary of the King's ascension to the throne. It is also an occasion to pledge allegiance to the King, who ascended the throne on 26/6/1426 H. King Abdullah's seven years in office have been remarkable for reforms and achievements. Modernization within the scope of Shariah and developments at a gigantic pace have been the hallmarks of the King's initiatives in which no segment of society has been ignored. His statesmanship, his leadership qualities, and his vision have earned him global respect and have catapulted Saudi Arabia into the top ranks of nations. Since 2009, King Abdullah has been on Forbes magazine's list of the world's most influential people. “There are seven billion people on the planet. These are the 70 that matter,” wrote Forbes on its website last year. “King Abdullah has continued to pursue an agenda of moderate reforms in the Kingdom that contains 20 percent of the world's known oil reserves and Islam's two holiest sites. He recently granted women the right to vote in local elections,” wrote Forbes magazine. The King recognized the importance of education, and so gave the sector the priority it deserved. In 2005, the King launched a government scholarship program to send Saudi students to universities around the world and implemented a SR9 billion project for general education development. He allocated SR168 billion for education and manpower training. Another landmark initiative of the King has been his empowerment of women. He gave women the right to vote and run as candidates in local elections. “We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Shariah,” King Abdullah said in his annual speech before the Shoura Council. Women were also given the right to join the Shoura Council. “We have decided that women will participate in the Shoura Council as members starting the next term,” the King said. The King also laid down a $37 billion program of new spending including jobless benefits, education and housing subsidies. He also announced a $400 billion package to improve education, health care and infrastructure. One of the most internationally recognized initiatives of the King has been his call for interfaith dialogue. In November 2007, he visited Pope Benedict XVI in the Apostolic Palace, the first such visit by a Saudi king. In June 2008, he organized a conference of Islamic scholars, clerics and other figures in the holy city of Makkah. The next month Saudi Arabia and Spain jointly held the interfaith dialogue in Madrid. In yet another interfaith dialogue conference in Vienna's Hofburg Palace, the King's vision led to the creation of the King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue. While the King extended his hand of friendship to other religions, he did not ignore his responsibilities toward the Muslim Ummah. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has launched a number of projects worth billions of riyals for the comfort of the Guests of Allah. The list of achievements and initiatives is too long to be summarized in a few words. But what Crown Prince Naif said in his congratulatory cable to the King aptly sums it up: “The King has played a significant role in unifying Arab and Islamic ranks, in defending the issues of Arab and Islamic nations, and spreading the culture of dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and combating terrorism.” __
