Akhir 19, 1432 H/ March 24, 2011, SPA -- Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, received at his residence in New Delhi this evening visiting Imam and Preacher of the Makkah-based holy Grand Mosque Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais. At the outset of the meeting, Singh lauded the relations linking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India which he said were based on mutual respect, noting that Islam is the religion of tolerance and peace and a constant component of the social structure of India. He extended thanks to the government of the Kingdom for the services it renders to all pilgrims, including the 170,000-strong Indian pilgrims as well as the nearly six million Indian laborers working in the GCC six-member countries. He said India accommodates some 160 million Muslim who enjoy full citizenship rights. For his part, Al-Sudais thanked the Prime Minister for offering him the chance to meet him and conveyed to him the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Crown Prince as well as the Second Deputy Premier. He noted the co-existence of multi-civilizations in India, a historic great nation of Asia. He lauded the Indian government's good treatment for the Muslim community as integral part of its social consistency. The audience was attended by Saudi ambassador to India Faisal bin Hasan Tirad and senior officials. Dr. Al-Sudais arrived in India earlier today to take part in a conference on the impact of Prophet Mohammed's companions, organized by India Ulema Association.
