Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques holds annual reception party
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud held at the Royal Court at Mina Palace today the annual reception party for the Islamic figures and heads of Hajj missions who are performing this year's Hajj.
Among the most prominent personalities who attended the party were Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Malaysia's King Al-Watheq Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, Mauritania's President Mohammed Ould Sheikh Abdullah, Maldives' President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Tanzania's Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed Shein, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed and Guinea's Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate.
The annual reception party was attended by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of Hajj Higher Committee; Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Makkah Region and Chairman of Hajj Central Committee; Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Interior; Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Saad; Prince Khalid bin Fahd bin Khalid; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; and other princes.
It was also attended by a number of Ulema, ministers, senior officials and ambassadors of Arab and Islamic states accredited to the Kingdom.
The Minister of Hajj Dr. Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy delivered a speech in which he thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the splendid successes of this year's Hajj season despite the big crowd of pilgrims that, with more than three million, exceeded all expectations, thanks to the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince and the implemented plans, projects, programs and wise policy.
The minister also said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has recently approved the largest budget in the history of the Kingdom, adding that the monarch said at that time that the objective was to continue expenditure on aspects that enhance sustainable development.
The focus on allocating further appropriations for public and university education, including the building of schools and universities according to a strategic plan to support and promote development of Saudi citizens, is the most important weapon to uproot terrorism and extremism", he added.
It was and still is among your priorities to make further developments in the holy sites, he said, citing the expansion of the Masa'a between Safa and Marwa mountains at the Grand Mosque premises and the Jamarat Bridge in Mina.
Following that, the Secretary General of Muslim World League (MWL) Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsin Al-Turki delivered a speech in which he congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince, the Saudi people and leaders and peoples of Islamic Ummah on Eid Al-Adh-ha.
Today, Muslims are in dear need of the help of the Kingdom and its leaders to unify ranks, face challenges, restore Muslims confidence in their religion and establish relations with the world's civilizations and peoples based on justice, cooperation, moderation and tolerance, he said.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, home of the Kaaba, is qualified to lead the Islamic nation towards a religious, cultural and scientific renaissance", he added.
He also thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for supporting MWL, adding that MWL is exerting efforts to highlight the tolerance of Islam and fight terrorism and extremism.
Following that, Head of Turkish Hajj Mission Ali Bardakoglu delivered the speech of Heads of Hajj Missions in which he conveyed the greetings of Heads of Hajj Missions and Islamic people to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and thanked him for providing services to pilgrims.
He also expressed pleasure for the giant projects implemented by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques as well as the effective measures rendered to provide best services to the pilgrims.
He also asserted that Muslims are against extremism, violence and terrorism. Hence, our enemies try to defame true Muslims by accusing them of masterminding the acts of extremism, violence and terrorism from which the world is suffering
Following him, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud delivered the following speech:
"In the name of God, the most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace,
And may peace be upon his Prophet,
Dear brothers, the Guests of Allah:
May I extend to all of you a sincere greeting in this blissful day of Eid Al-Adh-ha; and pray for Allah Amighty (God to whom be ascribed all perfection and majesty) to accept the Hajj of all of the hundreds of thousands who performed Hajj this year.
May Allah in all his greatness, grant us mercy, forgiveness and acceptance. And may Allah empower all of us to shoulder our responsibilities and rise up to our duties as worshippers, as well as be conscious of ourselves, sensitive to our communities, aware of our humanity and adherents to a vision of tolerance and active contribution to humanity's progress.
Brothers:
In every Hajj, my thoughts are focused on the holy sites of Hajj where the multitude of Hajjis gather in their millions from every conceivable corner of the Earth, and in them I feel the diversity, the richness and complexity of the world's cultures, sets of belief and traditions. The deeper my thoughts go, the more I realize that humanity with all its dimensions has magnificently gathered here.
Through this sea of humanity, one can not help but realize how much humans can be different, yet how much they share together. Above all, they share values and an innate belief in a creator, in God, that transcends differences in races, color and way of life.
Brothers:
All great religions and the righteous creed of Ibrahim have similar moral principles and ethics that at the end define humanity and set humans aside from other species. Values like truthfulness, honesty, tolerance, social responsibility, equality, human dignity and that basic building block of all societies: the family. For, without a strong sense of family and the love, sacrifice and kinship it encompasses, there can hardly be a community and we would lose that priceless thread that brings a society together.
Brothers:
Today in Hajj, this splendid human gathering, I ask you all and ask all those my words can reach, to always remember and keep in our thoughts and minds what is shared among all religions and cultures; to accentuate, articulate and emphasize what we have in common, to hold dear to our family values and to go back to our Creator. If we strive in this direction, our differences will diminish, the distances between us will shrink, and together we will make a world full of understanding and peace, where progress will be a fruit for all of us to enjoy.
Once more, my greetings to you, and I welcome you in this country that opens its heart before its doors to all.
May peace be upon all of you."
Following that, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud shook hands with Islamic figures and heads of Hajj missions who attended the party.
Then, all the attendees had luncheon with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.