Imam stresses importance of dialogue

Dr Sheikh Abdurrahman bin Abdulaziz Al Sudais, the Imam of Al Haram Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, speaking during a lecture yesterday stressed the importance of civilised dialogue in building bridges between nations.

The lecture was attended by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

In his lecture 'Our Cultural Characteristics and Contemporary Challenges', Al Sudais called for setting up an Islamic satellite TV station to enhance Muslim closeness to Islamic culture and help prevent the negative influence of Arabic satellite TV stations which promote non-Islamic culture.

He said Islamic culture is open to other cultures, but what benefits Muslim societies should be chosen.

"The collaboration between originality and modernisation does not contradict Islam. We should take from modernisation what benefits our society from a religious perspective and leave what contradicts our values," he said.

Al Sudais believed that intellectual dialogue will help introduce the real image of Muslims.

Accordingly, Muslims should work in an organised, intellectual manner and avoid emotional reactions. Muslims throughout history have been known as peaceful people who care about the spread of peace and security, he said.

He called on the international community to respect, "our Islamic cultural characteristics".

"The door is open for civilised dialogue," he said. "We aim to reach what benefit our societies and not indulge in deadlocks or endless debates. It is our right to ask others to respect our cultural characteristics because if we fail to do that we ourselves do not respect them."

He also called on scholars and cultural figures, as well as rulers to define terms used by the international media such as terrorism and legitimate resistance.

"Muslims as well as other nations should not start hurling accusations or panicking. Muslims should be confident of themselves and their existence," he said.

He called on Muslims to have self-control in such international circumstances and to obey their rulers who care for their welfare. "Islam calls for controlled freedom. Freedom does not mean an intellectual and cultural mess," he said.

Al Sudais stressed the importance of relying on Sharia principles, logical and constructive dialogue to help achieve the welfare of the nation and avoid probable crises.

He called on men of culture to stick to Islamic culture believing that the only source of culture is the principles and values stated in the Holy Quran and the Prophet's (PBUH) Sunna.

"Our culture is unique, being descended by God and it is a result of human intellect and philosophies," he said.