Sudais, one of the imams of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, expressed his hope that the new Hijrah year would usher in a new era of progress and prosperity in the Islamic world. Delivering his sermon to the thousands of faithful who packed the large mosque complex last Friday, the imam also prayed to the Almighty to make the New Year free of violence, terrorism and natural calamities. He called upon Muslims to promote human and Islamic values and follow the principle of dialogue. However, he insisted that dialogue with others must be based on reforms "that come from within and not dictated by others."
