Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, delivered a speech on Friday at George Washington University, in which he urged Americans to learn more about the people of the Middle East. In a lecture entitled " Islam and the West," he affirmed that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Prince Turki noted that radicals and extremists do not represent the majority of the Muslims. "Moreover, the bigots in the West and the United States were on common ground in attempting to bring about a clash of civilization," he said. Noting the experience of Saudi Arabia in fighting terrorism, he said the Kingdom has always been drawing the attention to the menace of terrorism. He noted that the Islamic Summit held in Makkah in 2005 discussed the problems of the Muslim world and called for fighting terrorism. He said the Summit had called for adopting a policy that advocates moderation and tolerance. Prince Turki highlighted the significant contribution of the Muslims to the human civilization. 'We are looking for the restoration of that role', he said. He noted that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince have been giving utmost attention to the education sector.
