Saudi King Abdullah reiterated Wednesday a call for dialogue between Islam and other religions during a gathering of Muslim scholars to discuss eventual inter-faith talks.
"You meet today to tell the world … that we are the voice of justice and moral human values and the voice of coexistence as well as just and reasonable dialogue," he told the opening session of the three-day International Islamic Conference in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
However, the monarch pointed out that among the major challenges now facing Muslims is combating a growing extremism.
"The challenges facing the (Muslim) nation are difficult at this time, as its enemies — including those extremists among its own people — have joined forces in a flagrant aggressiveness to distort the … rightfulness and tolerance of Islam," he said.
King Abdullah, whose ultra-conservative kingdom endured years of struggle with the homegrown extremists of Al-Qaeda, added that his call for dialogue among religions is "to face up to the challenges of introversion and ignorance … so that the world understands the principles of the good message of Islam."
"The way to reach out to the other will be through the common values that were preached by God’s messages, which were sent for the good of the human being," Abdullah said.
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