King Abdullah a statesman par excellence

Saudi King urges Islamic unity

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah last month emphasized the need to strengthen Arab and Islamic unity.

“I am servant of you and of the Arab and Islamic world without any discrimination. You are brothers and true brothers of the Arab Islamic nation,” he said.

King Abdullah made this comment while addressing Islamic scholars and other prominent personalities who came to greet him on the seventh anniversary of his accession to throne.

“Saudi people are brothers of the Arab and Islamic nation. We consider them as our brothers. We expect the same love, sincerity and unity from our brothers in the Arab and Islamic world,” he added.

King Abdullah expressed his happiness over seeing the faces of prominent personalities like Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh in the gathering.

“I am thankful to all of you. I am a servant of you, a servant of the small and big and I pray to Allah to help me perform my duties in the best manner and in a way that would please Him,” the king said.

He urged Saudis to thank God for his great blessings including peace, security and stability. “We have to thank God for every move we make,” he added.

The reception at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah was attended by Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, Defense Minister Prince Salman, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and intelligence chief Prince Muqrin.

Al-Asheikh spoke about King Abdul Aziz’s efforts to unify warring tribes in various parts of Arabia and establish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also urged Saudi citizens to thank God for His various bounties.

He commended the unity and cohesion between the Saudi people and leadership. “Delegations from different parts of the Kingdom met King Abdullah and renew their allegiance,” he said and hoped the government would continue its efforts to strengthen the unity of Saudi people. The mufti also prayed for the king’s long life.

Sheikh Salah Al-Bedair, imam and khateeb of the Prophet’s Mosque, also spoke. “The people of Madinah take this opportunity to express their allegiance toward your leadership. We will be in peace with those who are in peace with you and will fight those who are at war with you,” he said.

A STATESMAN PAR

EXCELLENCE

Last month Saudi Arabia celebrates the 7th anniversary of the King’s ascension to the throne. It is also an occasion to pledge allegiance to the King, who ascended the throne on 26/6/1426 H.

King Abdullah’s seven years in office have been remarkable for reforms and achievements. Modernization within the scope of Shariah and developments at a gigantic pace have been the hallmarks of the King’s initiatives in which no segment of society has been ignored. His statesmanship, his leadership qualities, and his vision have earned him global respect and have catapulted Saudi Arabia into the top ranks of nations.

Since 2009, King Abdullah has been on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people. “There are seven billion people on the planet. These are the 70 that matter,” wrote Forbes on its website last year.

“King Abdullah has continued to pursue an agenda of moderate reforms in the Kingdom that contains 20 percent of the world’s known oil reserves and Islam’s two holiest sites. He recently granted women the right to vote in local elections,” wrote Forbes magazine.

The King recognized the importance of education, and so gave the sector the priority it deserved. In 2005, the King launched a government scholarship program to send Saudi students to universities around the world and implemented a SR9 billion project for general education development.

He allocated SR168 billion for education and manpower training.

Another landmark initiative of the King has been his empowerment of women. He gave women the right to vote and run as candidates in local elections. “We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Shariah,” King Abdullah said in his annual speech before the Shoura Council.

Women were also given the right to join the Shoura Council. “We have decided that women will participate in the Shoura Council as members starting the next term,” the King said.

The King also laid down a $37 billion program of new spending including jobless benefits, education and housing subsidies.

He also announced a $400 billion package to improve education, health care and infrastructure.

One of the most internationally recognized initiatives of the King has been his call for interfaith dialogue.

In November 2007, he visited Pope Benedict XVI in the Apostolic Palace, the first such visit by a Saudi king.

In June 2008, he organized a conference of Islamic scholars, clerics and other figures in the holy city of Makkah. The next month Saudi Arabia and Spain jointly held the interfaith dialogue in Madrid. In yet another interfaith dialogue conference in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace, the King’s vision led to the creation of the King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue.

While the King extended his hand of friendship to other religions, he did not ignore his responsibilities toward the Muslim Ummah. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has launched a number of projects worth billions of riyals for the comfort of the Guests of Allah.

SEVEN YEARS OF CONTINUED PROGRESS & DEVELOPMENT

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made remarkable progress in all spheres since King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, ascended the throne seven years ago. King Abdullah’s ascension to the throne and the anniversary of pledging allegiance to him (Jamad Al-Thani 26) falls.

During the past seven years, the Kingdom has embarked upon developmental projects worth billions of riyals even as a major recession continues to affect well-established businesses around the globe.

In statements on the occasion, Emirs, senior ministers, princes and high-ranking officials have lauded the major achievements of King Abdullah.

Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, said: “The King is not only a statesman, but the leader of a nation achieving gigantic accomplishments in all fields and making all efforts to advance the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to an exalted position in the world.” He said that during the King’s prosperous era the Kingdom has witnessed enormous local and global achievements in record time.

The Crown Prince added that King Abdullah has administered the affairs of the country in a unique and balanced manner. “The King has been concerned about all affairs of Islam and Muslims and has provided the best services to pilgrims through the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah and colossal accomplishments in the holy sites that will make him a leader remembered in history,” he said.

The Crown Prince said the King has played a significant role in unifying Arab and Islamic ranks, defending the issues of Arab and Islamic nations, spreading the culture of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and successfully tackling the menace of terrorism.

Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Defense, said during the King’s prosperous era the Kingdom has taken qualitative steps in all fields including education, health, social care and services for the prosperity of citizens and the progress of the homeland.

Under the wise leadership of the King, Prince Salman noted, the Armed Forces have witnessed development and progress in various fields. “Military personnel are more ready and prepared to perform their mission to defend the homeland from any threat or external aggression,” he said.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, said King Abdullah propounded the national dialogue, the dialogue between Muslim scholars, and the dialogue among the followers of religions, cultures and civilizations.

He added that the King has achieved remarkable accomplishments at all levels in the service of religion, the homeland and citizens, and in the service of international peace and security.

King Abdullah’s primary concern, he said, was to “bring justice and serve all the people of this country”.

He said that the last seven years had seen “uncomfortable regional and international developments” bringing challenges that King Abdullah “has handled wisely and prudently”.