On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, opened today the International Islamic Conference held by Muslim World League on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the league. During the opening ceremony, Prince Naif delivered a speech on behalf of the king. Prince Naif said, "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques honored me to act on his behalf and open the Muslim World League's conference, "the Reality and Exploring the Future." In his name, I welcome all of you. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz permitted and honored me to deliver his speech directed to you: "In the name of God the Merciful Praise be to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. Brothers: Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you: I welcome you as you gather near the Holy Mosque in Umm Al-Qura, the place of the revelation and the starting point of the message of Islam. I pray to God Almighty to help you in this great Islamic meeting called for by the Muslim World League, to consider its reality, consult on its programs, and explore its future after the passage of fifty years since its establishment and launch from this sincere country in the noblest endeavor to serve the message of Islam, promote its great principles and follow the affairs of Muslims everywhere. We have been pleased with the league's work contributing to solving the problems of the Muslims, unifying their ranks, disseminating the correct image of Islam and responding to the problems that have beset some Muslim societies the most dangerous of which are extremism in religion, extremism and terrorism. In all of this, it has exerted remarkable and thankful efforts in addition to Islamic principles and concepts it has provided to humanity through dialogue to promote understanding and cooperation between the peoples of the world. Brothers: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which welcomed the establishment of the league on its territory, is proud of the Islamic approach it follows in applying Islam and calling Muslims to solidarity, cooperation and unity and calling scholars to make the effort required to achieve the hopes of Muslims to reform their own affairs, unify their ranks and restore their dignity. Since its establishment, the Kingdom has made the unity of Muslims one of its priorities. Its founder, our father the late King Abdulaziz, has made his memorable remark: "I am a Muslim. I like to unify ranks. There is nothing I like more than achieving unity." This was his basis for calling on the nation's scholars to meet in the First Mecca Conference eighty six years ago in the year 1345 H. He addressed the scholars to explain his view of the conditions of the nation. He summed up the approach it should follow saying, "I ask the Muslims to return to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah. This is our religion. This is our belief. Division is the beginning of decline and isolation. It is the biggest enemy of souls and human beings. Unity and solidarity are the basis. Muslims should avoid division and seek reconciliation." The Kingdom sticks to this approach. It is keen to apply the law of God and exert constant efforts to serve His religion, achieve cooperation and solidarity among Muslims. The Muslim World League agrees with this approach by its goals, methods, plans and actions. Therefore, it has the right to be a representative of the Islamic people, and assume a prestigious place among international organizations making the United Nations award it the Messenger of Peace certificate. --More
