Saudi global peace center in Malaysia reflects true tolerance of Islam, says KACND chief

Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar. (SPA)

RIYADH: The establishment of a global peace center under the King Salman Center for Global Peace in Malaysia is another of the Kingdom’s contributions to spread the message of Islam and peace, said Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar, secretary general of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND).
During King Salman’s visit to Malaysia, both countries agreed to establish the center in coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Defense, the Center for Security and Defense at the Malaysian Ministry of Defense, the Malaysian University of Islamic Sciences and the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL).
The KACND chief said the center is considered a practical translation of the tolerance of Islam and its permanent call for the spread of peace and coexistence.
King Salman Center for Global Peace will contribute to unifying Islamic and global efforts to spread stability in the region, which has suffered much from wars and terrorism, he said.
The Kingdom, led by King Salman, and resting on its religious, political and economic positions in the hearts of Muslims, has never spared any efforts in undertaking its historic role and realizing cooperation and fraternity between Islamic countries, and preserving their security and stability, he said.
The Islamic world needs to unify their ranks, renounce extremism and terrorism, and clarify the true image of Islam. Muslims are advocates of peace, love and coexistence, he pointed out.
In a related development, a group of scholars in Egypt expressed appreciation for King Salman’s call for dialogue between religions and cultures during his recent visit to Indonesia.
Mohammed Abu Al-Sheikh, a professor of Islamic Shariah and member of the Cairo-based Higher Islamic Council, said King Salman’s call shows that the Kingdom comes at the forefront of countries advocating peace and co-existence.
Mohammed Mahmoud Hamouda, director of Holy Qur’an Affairs at Al-Azhar University, said King Salman’s call stresses the Kingdom’s leading role in spreading the culture of tolerance through dialogue.
Abdulrahman Abbas, on the teaching staff at Al-Azhar University (Asyut branch), said King Salman’s call originates in the teachings of Islam, which stress that relations between Muslims and non-Muslims are based on humanitarian fraternity, adding that Islam is a religion of tolerance and peace, and fights all aggressive tendencies in human hearts.