War on terror is all faiths’ fight against ideology of hatred — King

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday underlined that the global anti-terrorism war is not a fight between different religions or peoples but one between moderates of all faiths and extremists “whose faith is hate and violence”.

Giving a speech at the conference “Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation”, which was held in New Delhi in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Islamic, religious, intellectual and political figures as well as students, the King noted that compassion, mercy and tolerance lie at the heart of the true essence of Islam and other faiths, adding, “these values require us, together, to act for our common future.” (See his Majesty’s full speech)

“And the truth is that today’s global war against terror is not a fight between different religions or peoples. It is between moderates, of all faiths and communities, against extremists whose faith is hate and violence.”

His Majesty stressed the need for joint work among followers of all faiths to pinpoint and reject the deviant ideologies of extremist groups and safeguard the young people against their influences, a Royal Court statement said.

“We need to recognise and reject the misinformation such groups promote about Islam, or indeed, any other faith. We need to take back the airwaves and the Internet from the voices of hatred — those who have victimised our world, not only with bombs and terror, but with ignorance and lies.”

The King also called on followers of all faiths to come together and build on the values of tolerance and mercy they share to address the ideologies of hate and separation and bring together different civilisations and cultures around the common principles of humanity.

“Too much of what’s heard in the news or seen online about religion today is all about what separates people. Around the world, suspicions are inflamed by what different groups don’t know about others. And such ideologies of hate distort the word of God to stir up conflict and justify crimes and terror.”

His Majesty said that faith must be a unifying factor, citing Jordan and India as examples of countries where people of different religions live in harmony and peace by the values of tolerance and mercy they share.

“It is faith that inspires the everyday experiences of people in countries like India and Jordan, where different religious and ethnic groups have lived and worked together in amity throughout history.”

The King noted that Jordanians are working globally for dialogue and peace, adding, “Among many things, my country was honoured to initiate World Interfaith Harmony Week — an annual UN observance promoting mutual understanding. And the text of our resolution specifically included language to be inclusive of all people of good will, including both Muslims and Hindus.”

“It was wisely said, the world is one family. However different our countries and our peoples are, we have a shared responsibility — to each other, as well as to the future.” 

Also delivering a speech, Modi commended His Majesty’s “big contributions to highlight the true image of Islam.

Modi presented to His Majesty the first Urdu translation of the book “A Thinking Person’s Guide to Islam: The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Koran” by HRH Prince Ghazi, the King’s special adviser for religious and cultural affairs and the personal envoy of His Majesty, the statement said.

The prime minister said that the book will be read by young people all over the world and will play an important role in highlighting the true values of Islam, the statement said.

He added that what the world witnesses of violence and hatred has to form a strong motive for everybody to fight extremism and terrorism through referring to the principles of religions.

In this regard, Modi stressed that the war on terrorism is not a war on any faith, but on the extremist ideology of people who mislead the youth into perpetrating crimes against innocent people, according to the statement.