Saudi Arabia supports peaceful coexistence and dialogue between religions and cultures

The Advisor at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahed Al-Arifi affirmed that Saudi Arabia supports peaceful coexistence through dialogue between religions and cultures, based on its leadership in the Islamic world and its well-established policy.

This came in a speech he delivered at the 20th meeting of the General Secretariat of the Seventh International Conference of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which was held recently in Kazakhstan.

Sheikh Al-Arifi said that the Kingdom, since the era of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia founder King Abdulaziz – May God have mercy on him – has been striving to serve religion and spread the culture of tolerance called for by Islam and dialogue between different religions and cultures. He recalled the visit ordered by King Faisal, to the Vatican to carry the message of Islam and its tolerant principles of moderation, dialogue and openness to the other.

The Kingdom sponsored the Sixth Forum for Dialogue of Civilizations between Japan and the Islamic World under the title of Culture and Respect for Religions, then the International Conference on Interreligious Dialogue chaired by King Abdullah, may God Almighty have mercy on him, to its inauguration of the Global Center for Extremist Thought, Etidal Center in the capital, Riyadh, all these proves the tolerance attitude of the kingdom.

The visit of the Vatican delegation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, headed by the late President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Jean Tou Ran, in 2018, and the meeting with the King, except to confirm the principles and great values ​​of Islam.

At the end of his participation, Al-Arifi thanked His Excellency the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawaa and Guidance, Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh for his keenness and follow-up to participate, and he also thanked the presidency of the conference and the government of Kazakhstan for its sponsorship and all the delegations participating in its work.

It is noteworthy that the meeting discussed a number of topics on the agenda of the conference, which will be held from 14 to 15 September 2022 in the city of Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan, and will discuss the role of leaders of global and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of humanity in the period after the global coronavirus pandemic.