Urges Unity and Respect Across All Faiths

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. , 1 February, 2005, – His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday appealed to the followers of the three monotheistic faiths to confront extremism by "exploring the values that unite us, rather than exaggerating the misunderstandings that divide us."

Recognizing these commonalities is the key to "confronting extremism in its myriad forms," King Abdullah said during an address to the National Prayer Breakfast Luncheon in Washington, D.C.

King Abdullah told the audience of about 3,000 that the three religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism – have important points of consensus, beginning with the belief in one God. Additionally, he said, the three religions demand both humility and strength in their followers and require them to live lives of conscience, to make a positive difference and to honor and love their families. He called extremism a "political movement under religious cover [whose] adherents want nothing more than to pit us against each other, denying all that we have in common."

He strongly condemned acts of intolerance.

"We behold with horror and disgust the recent targeting of Christian churches in Iraq, breaking with a 1,400 year tradition of Christian-Muslim friendship and mutual acceptance amongst the Arabs of the Levant," he said, adding that the "needless desecration and injury of Islamic sensibilities" such as the recent cartoons that vilified the Prophet Mohammad were also to be condemned.

He said that by allowing intolerance and ill will to polarize people of faith, the
faithful betray all those who have died at the hands of extremists and deny the truth of their monotheistic faith.

Upon King Abdullah’s initiative, the luncheon included students from area schools who had met with King Abdullah and his wife, Her Majesty Queen Rania, last September, when they began an ongoing process of interfaith dialogue. The students were from Banneker High School in the District of Columbia, the Berman Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington, Rockville, Maryland, and the Islamic Saudi Academy, Alexandria, Virginia.

Earlier today, King Abdullah joined Senator Norm Coleman (R-MINN) at the National Prayer Breakfast, where he delivered brief remarks and where he asked attendees – who included American government officials, congressmen, community, civil and religious leaders and members of the Washington diplomatic corps – to join in a prayer for the Middle East so "that not one more generation will grow up knowing conflict or injustice, that not one more family will lose a loved one to war and bitterness, and that together, Muslim, Christian and Jew, we can create a new future for the Holy Land."

In a separate meeting with American religious figures, including nearly two dozen Evangelist leaders, King Abdullah discussed his message of peace and coexistence across all religious faiths.

In Jordan, a Muslim country, Christianity is an integral component of the country’s religious history. The Christian community in Jordan is one of the oldest in the world and continues to play a significant role in contemporary Jordanian society. Jordanian Christians enjoy religious freedom and are active and valued participants in government, parliament and the national economy.

King Abdullah also explained Jordan's efforts to combat extremism, including the dissemination of the Amman Message in 2004 and the convening of the International Islamic Conference in July 2005. He added that Jordan is instituting religious education reforms to reaffirm traditional moderate Islam and to emphasize the teachings it shares with Christianity and Judaism. Additionally, he said, a website on Quranic commentary was under construction to promote a proper understanding of Islam.

For more information please call Jordan Information Bureau 202-265-1606