His Majesty King Abdullah II
Remarks by His Majesty
King Abdullah II
National Prayer Luncheon
February 2, 2006
Washington, D.C.
Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim;
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Thank you for your kind welcome. It is an honor to join you. I am especially
grateful for the prayers that were offered at the National Prayer Breakfast in
1999, on behalf of my father, King Hussein. Even in those last days of his life,
he was still working for peace; peace for our region, peace for our world. His
example taught us all that public service and duty to God are inseparable. Those
who serve must, as the Psalm says: Seek peace and pursue it. (Psalms
34:14).
At this point in history, our service to God, our countries and our peoples
demands that we confront extremism in its myriad forms. To overcome this common
foe, we must explore the values that unite us, rather than exaggerating the
misunderstandings that divide us.
Islam, like Christianity and Judaism is a monotheistic religion: Muslims believe
that there is only One God; that is the basis of everything in Islam. The Holy
Qur’an says:
He it is who is God in Heaven and God on earth. He is the
Wise, the Knower. (Al-Zukhruf, 43:84)
Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, believes in the Abrahamic Scriptures. The
Holy Qur’an says that God hath Revealed the Torah and the Gospel (Aal-‘Imran,
3:1).
Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, has three essential principles, that
The Lord our God, the Lord is One
[1] (Deuteronomy 6:4), and the
two golden Commandments. Jesus Christ said (may peace and blessings be
upon him), echoing the words of the Torah:
The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord
our God is one Lord; / And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding, and with all thy
strength: this is the first commandment. / And the second commandment is like,
namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater
than these.[2]
And likewise the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be
upon him) said:
By Him in whose Hand is my life, none of you believes
until he [or she] loves for their neighbour, what they love for themselves.[3]
These two commandments — on which hang all the law and all the prophets[4]
—should bring us together, for Jesus Christ (may peace and blessings be upon
him) said: For he who is not against us is on our side (Mark, 9:40).
And, similarly, the Holy Qur’an says:
Truly the believers are brothers. Therefore make peace
between your brothers and observe your duty to God that perhaps you may obtain
mercy. (49:10)
Our religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, should bring us together in
other ways. They all demand of us both humility and strength. Humility – in
knowing there is a Power higher than ourselves: the One God, who created and
sustains us. Strength – that with God’s help, we can do His will: leading lives
of conscience, making a positive difference, and in honoring and loving our
families.
In every generation, people of faith are tested. In our generation, the greatest
challenge comes from violent extremists who seek to divide and conquer.
Extremism is a political movement, under religious cover. Its adherents want
nothing more than to pit us against each other, denying all that we have in
common. We must therefore heed the words of the New Testament: Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)
Like Christians and Jews, Muslims revile aggression against innocents – whatever
their land or religion. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him,
taught “There is no harm and no requiting harm in religion.” He told us: “The
All-Merciful is merciful to those who are merciful. Have mercy upon those on
earth, He who is in heaven will be merciful unto you.” Jesus, peace and
blessings upon him, also said: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
By the Grace of God, my father in his day, and I in mine, have worked to combat
the phenomenon of radicalism by promoting a sound understanding of our faith.
More than a year ago, Jordan launched a religious initiative to reaffirm
traditional moderate Islam, to expose and isolate extremism and to emphasize the
common teachings of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The principles of our Reaffirmation of True Islam were adopted by the
Organization of the Islamic Conference in Mecca last December as part of their
ten-year plan for the future of the Islamic World. This strikes at the very
roots of extremism by denying its Islamic legitimacy, and consolidates the
traditional middle ground of Islam, to which the vast majority of Muslims
belong. It constitutes a full frontal assault on extremist distortions of Islam
by exposing the falsity of their ideologies to the light of truth. As God has
said in the Holy Quran: Truth has come and falsity has vanished. Lo! Falsity
is ever bound to vanish. (17:81)
September Eleventh; the train bombings in Spain; the underground and bus
bombings in London – these outrages have led some to believe in a “Clash of
Civilizations”. Nothing could please extremists more; that is their view of
reality. Its falsity is made clear to all by the extremist bombings in the
Islamic world … in Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and more. Almost every
day Muslims are killed by extremists in Iraq. Their targets are not Christians,
not Jews, not Americans or Europeans, but indigenous innocent Muslims.
I will never forget visiting our hospitals after extremists bombed a Muslim
wedding party in Amman last November. My wife Rania and I grieved with and for
fathers, mothers, sons and daughters who saw their families viciously,
deliberately, murdered. Such wanton acts demonstrate that extremist terror is
not indicative of a clash between civilizations. Rather it is an attack upon
civilization. As Dr. Martin Luther King said: “Civilization and violence are
antithetical concepts”.
The violence unleashed by terrorist groups and the few who follow them stems
from hatred. They do not preach the Islam of the Qur’an or the Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings upon him. Theirs is a repugnant political ideology which
violates the principles and statutes of traditional Islamic law. No matter what
grievance one may have or what evil one confronts, the Quran commands us: Let
not the hatred of others make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be
just! It is closer to piety. (5:8)
Extremists, of any religion, who teach intolerance and violence, mutilate
Scripture to advance their cause. We behold with horror and disgust the recent
targeting of Christian churches in Iraq, breaking with a 1400 year tradition of
Christian-Muslim friendship and mutual acceptance amongst the Arabs of the
Levant. Equally, whilst we respect and revere freedom of speech, we condemn
needless desecration and injury of Islamic sensibilities, such as the recent
cartoons misrepresenting and vilifying my ancestor the Prophet (may peace and
blessings be upon him).
If we allow such intolerance and ill will to polarize us, we betray all those
who have died at their hands. And we do worse. We turn away from truth – truth
expressed throughout our Judeo-Christian-Islamic heritage, For a good tree
does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. (Luke 6:43)
Together, we have a duty to this generation and many to come, to witness to the
positive role of faith in public life. Humbled through that faith, strengthened
by that faith; we can, with God’s help, create a more just and peaceful future.
It begins by standing together – and upholding the principles transgressed by
those who oppose us. As the Bible says: be thou an example of the believers,
in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1
Timothy 4:12)
Thank you very much.
[1] Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
[2] The Gospel according to St. Mark 12: 29-31.
[3] Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Ch.18, #72.
[4]The Gospel according to St. Matthew 22: 40.