His Majesty King Abdullah II
Remarks by His Majesty
King Abdullah II
Athens-Amman Municipality Agreement
December 21, 2005
Athens
Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim; In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Thank you, and thank you all. I am honoured to receive the Golden Medal of
Athens. To me, it is a symbol of all that your historic city has given our world
– the ideals of good governance; the growth of knowledge; partnership with
others; and of the whole immeasurable legacy that Greece has given — and
continues to give — to the world.
So it is with great pride that I accept this honour, on behalf of all
Jordanians. By doing so together we also celebrate the special friendship and
unique historical bonds between the people of Greece and Jordan. And the
agreements we sign today, will, I hope, bring us even closer in the years ahead.
My Friends,
For more than six thousand years, the ideas, knowledge and values of our two
regions and peoples have shaped the entire world, and continue to do so in
almost every way. My home, the Levant, gave the world … among other things …
High Civilization, literacy, law, agriculture, medicine, astronomy, mathematics,
and the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam – to which
the majority of people in the world belong today. Greece gave the world … among
other things … philosophy, classical culture, drama, the empirical sciences –
including empirical medicine – geometry, democracy, and the ideal of individual
freedom. Thus, most of humanity’s knowledge, culture, heritage, and even faith
come from us together, the Levant and Greece.
Today, our two countries may seem small, but we continue to be the guardians of
the best of the world’s heritage. One way we do this, together, is by protecting
the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the oldest church in the world,
and the Church of the Holy Land. Another way is by maintaining a respectful
dialogue between Christianity and Islam, the two largest religions in the world.
Both Islam and Christianity teach belief in, and devotion to, One God … and love
for our fellow human beings. Jesus – peace be upon him – commanded us to love
the Lord your God, and to love your neighbor. So too, the Prophet Muhammad –
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 neighbor, what they love for
themselves.
These teachings are at the heart of Jordan’s commitment to peace, tolerance and
justice. They are also at the heart of Jordan’s traditional Islamic
Reaffirmation. Reaffirming traditional Islam consolidates the middle ground of
our religion, to which more than 1.2 billion people belong. And it strikes at
the very roots of extremism, by exposing the falsity of extremist ideologies,
and by rejecting extremist hatred and violence as profound distortions of Islam.
Our initiative was demonstrated last month, after the Amman bombings, when
Jordanians from all walks of life marched together to defy terror and assert
Islam’s true values. But it started much earlier. Just over a year ago, when we
released the Amman Message – an explanation of the true nature of Islam and a
call to peaceful coexistence among all nations. Then, last July, a conference in
Amman brought together over 180 Muslim scholars, from 45 countries. They
represented all eight traditional schools of Islamic Jurisprudence from the
three main branches of Islam – Sunni, Shi’i and Ibadhi. The conference was
supported by 20 fatwas from the world’s leading Islamic authorities.
The scholars signed a joint statement of accord that affirms the validity of all
eight schools of jurisprudence, and of traditional Islamic creeds and practices.
It condemned takfir, a practice of labeling others as unbelievers, in
order to justify wanton acts of violence upon them. Last, it specified the
conditions for issuing legitimate fatwas, thereby demonstrating that
extremist fatwas justifying violence are in clear violation of Islam’s
teachings. Two weeks ago, at Jordan’s initiative, the three components of this
declaration were unanimously endorsed by the International Organization of the
Islamic Conference.
My friends,
The Islamic Reaffirmation is a Muslim initiative. But moderation and respect for
others is not a path for Muslims alone. We must all work for understanding,
tolerance, and dialogue. This is the message of our Euro-Med partnership, where
Greece has played such an important role. And it is our common responsibility as
the historical shapers of our world.
The Greek people have another central role to play. In helping to build bridges
between peoples and regions. And in supporting peace: a lasting, just solution
to the Arab-Israeli conflict, with two states, a sovereign, viable Palestine and
a secure Israel; a stable, unified Iraq, with a rebuilt economy, and an
inclusive civil society.
The Greek people can also support and encourage regional reforms that advance
development and stability – and provide the opportunities that our young people
urgently need. Jordan is leading the way in the Middle East, with a
comprehensive program of political, economic and social reforms. Public and
private sector leaders were directly involved in developing our new National
Agenda, aimed at guiding government actions over the next ten years. We are
getting results, and we are staying the course. I invite you to come to Amman
and experience both the modern Jordan and its ancient heritage, including that
of its Hellenistic period.
Allow me also, at this special time, to wish all of you a happy Christmas
holiday.
Thank you very much.