Saudis and expatriates have warmly welcomed UN General Assembly's interfaith dialogue summit convened at the behest of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to promote understanding among all monotheistic religions and different cultures in the world. Abdullah Al-Anazi, a Saudi, said he has all praise for King Abdullah for taking measures to promote understanding and communal harmony at international level through his initiative. He said King Abdullah is known for his wise decisions and the United Nations interfaith meeting is the need of the hour. “This is a step forward for building bridges of understanding and communal harmony between people of different cultures and religions. I congratulate King Abdullah for his personal initiative aimed at promoting understanding and peace in the world,” he said. Badr Al-Asmari, another Saudi, said King Abdullah's initiative of promoting interfaith dialogue will not only help in clearing the image of the Muslims around the world but also remove misconceptions about Islam. King Abdullah's initiative clearly reflects that Islam is a religion of peace, that promotes dialogue between different cultures, he said. Arif Burkani, a Yemeni, said people of various faiths could know each other only through a process of dialogue. “Islam is a religion of dialogue and King Abdullah's initiative has all aspects of dynamism,” he said. If the world leaders give King Abdullah's initiative a serious thought and not bent on politicking then it will create deep understanding among people of various faiths in the world. “The interfaith dialogue will be a positive development and help in shaping a new world order, based on communal harmony and peace for all,” he said. Sideeque Veliankod, an Indian national, said King Abdullah's initiative will bring different cultures and communities closer and help in minimizing the misconceptions between different cultures and faiths. He said the world leaders gathering at the UN General Assembly should also show similar gesture of tolerance and openness and work in their respective countries by inviting the community leaders of different faiths and promote interfaith dialogue. He said no country in the world was free from the menace of terrorism. Unfortunately, any act of terrorism reported from any part of the world was blamed on Muslims. This in turn creates a wrong impression that Muslims are trouble-makers, he said. King Abdullah's message of “interfaith dialogue” was loud and clear that should reach at the grass-roots levels to foster greater understanding among people of different faiths, he said. He said King Abdullah's initiative, in fact, reflected the teachings of Qur'an, which says, “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqun (the pious)]. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, Well-Acquainted (with all things). – Chapter 49, Surah Al-Hujurat Verse 13. Jay Raj, another Indian, said he has been living in the Kingdom for the past many years and learned a lot about Islam, that it is a peace loving religion. Likewise, every other religion of the world including Hinduism that he follows promotes peace and communal harmony among people of various faiths. King Abdullah's initiative of interfaith dialogue will certainly help in closing the gap between various cultures, he said. “Since I am living in Saudi Arabia, I know about Islam. But those people living elsewhere might not know the actual message of this noble religion, due to which there has been a misconception among the people”. Syed Daur, a Palestinian said he wholeheartedly supports King Abdullah's initiative of promoting interfaith dialogue, which was based on moderation – the basic spirit of Islam. “King Abdullah has time and again shown that he was against radicalism and extremism. He (King Abdullah) has always called for moderation in life,” he said. However, he said people of other faiths should also come forward reflecting tolerance and acceptance of realities. The world leaders should share the responsibility by showing respect to the rights of other people including Islam and Muslims, who are always seeking peace and wanted to live in peace, he said. “I not only support King Abdullah for his initiative of promoting world peace through interfaith dialogue but also congratulate him, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people, who showed zero tolerance to radicalism and extremism,” he said. – SG __
