Jordan Times
Thursday, September 15, 2005
King, Queen discuss Islamic
values with Washington, DC students
WASHINGTON, DC (Petra) — Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania on
Tuesday discussed Islam's true values of tolerance and understanding with a
group of students from an array of schools in Washington, DC.
The roundtable discussion took place at Banneker High School with the
participation of teachers and students from the Hebrew Academy, the
International Saudi Academy, Cardozo Senior High School and Banneker High
School.
The meeting was part of Their Majesties' efforts to open a dialogue with youth
on peace, tolerance and interfaith coexistence.
During his current visit to the US, the Monarch is focusing on the
intra-Islamic, interfaith initiative Jordan is leading with the aim of building
bridges of peace and understanding among people throughout the world, including
religious and political leaders, academics, and policy makers as well as youth.
The King's programme includes several meetings with Muslim, Christian and Jewish
leaders in the US.
The students participating in the roundtable meeting, who come from various
social backgrounds, expressed their views on international issues and listened
to the King's vision on Mideast peace, the future of Iraq and the fight against
extremism and terrorism.
King Abdullah said the Kingdom and the entire international community, through
the Quartet that drafted the roadmap, are doing their utmost to help the
Palestinians and the Israelis to resume the peace process and secure a better
future for their peoples. Peace would also reflect positively on all the peoples
in the region, the Monarch added.
The King referred to the major international conference in July that brought
together scholars representing all eight traditional schools of Islamic thought.
He said the gathering was part of Jordan's endeavours to extend bridges of
understanding with other faiths and sustain interfaith dialogue.
He also highlighted the mission of Amman Message, which stresses on Islam's
essential social values of compassion, respect for others, tolerance and
acceptance, and freedom of religion.
King Abdullah said Iraq's unity and stability should be preserved while all
Iraqis should be partners in the ongoing political process there.
He acquainted the students with the Kingdom's achievements regarding development
plans, especially in the education field.
Addressing the students, Queen Rania stressed the importance of inter-youth
dialogue based on common human values. She shed light on the Kingdom's plans to
empower women and youth and activate their roles in the development process.
The Banneker High School's philosophy is based on the belief that every child
has an inherent right to an education regardless of sex, ethnic, economic,
social or religious background. It accepts students from the different
ethnicities and classes and qualifies them to enter universities through a
four-year programme.