The Deputy Minister of Education Faisal Bin Abdulrahman Bin Muammar, who is also a member of the Executive Council of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), confirmed that Saudi Arabia, in its capacity as home of the two holy mosques and heart of the Islamic world, would remain supportive of any international efforts aimed at reducing all kinds of terrorism and extremism and at creating a peace-loving world community. In a keynote speech before UNESCO's 184th session in Paris this week, Bin Muammar praised the role being played by UNESCO at all levels. He hailed the organization's declaration expressing its concern over the unacceptable decision by Israel to annex the holy Ibrahimi mosque in Al-Khalil city and Bilal Bin Rabah mosque in Bethlehem, noting that this was in contravention of all international conventions, including the United Nations Charter. He said the Kingdom has designed a large number of local and international cultural events for its citizens and the nearly seven million expatriates from friendly countries who reside in the Kingdom and contribute to its vast renaissance. He also cited the awards ceremony of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques International Prize for Translation scheduled for the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris in May. Bin Muammar described the move as one of a series of initiatives aimed at narrowing the gap between world cultures and civilizations and as a continuation of the call by King Abdullah for dialogue among followers of religions and culture. Recently, he concluded, the Kingdom announced a new initiative entitled the King Abdullah International Prize for Heritage and Culture.
