We should be thankful for the two blessings Allah the Almighty has bestowed upon us and exert great efforts to honor and safeguard these blessings. The first blessing is the Holy Ka'ba towards which all Muslims around the world face when they pray. Our land is the cradle of Islam and of the last Messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The second blessing is that this land is the cradle of Arabism. From this land, Arabs migrated to places all over the world and spread the Arabic language among the people there. These two blessings have placed major responsibilities on our shoulders. Arab Muslim countries and people attach strategic importance to the Kingdom. It is an importance which the Kingdom realizes very well and it exerts great efforts to be equal to the responsibility attached to it. The Kingdom is the heart of Arab and Muslim countries and the wise judge Muslim and Arab countries turn to in order to resolve their issues. It is the partner and supporter of sisterly countries. No one can say otherwise when it comes to issues related to Islam or Arabism. It is as Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Defense, once said: “The greatest blessing Allah the Almighty bestowed upon us is that this land has the House of Allah, the Holy Ka'ba, and is the cradle of Arabism and no one can say otherwise. It is the land of tolerance and moderation which is based on Islam.” We feel proud and gladdened by the words of our beloved Prince, but we also realize our responsibility and we know very well that we must always work hard to rise to the occasion and perform our duties as we have always done. __
