King Abdullah of Jordan in European Parliament
Source: The Jerusalem Post
“Jordan is a Muslim country, with a deeply-rooted Christian community. Together, the Jordanian people make up an indivisible society, friends and partners in building our country” Abdullah said.
Jordanian King Abdullah II told the European Parliament that coexistence and mutual respect between Muslims and Christians is crucial for defense against religious extremism, while in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
While speaking of the global dangers of extremism and fight against both terrorism and Islamophobia, Abdullah also brought up the recent attacks against Christians perpetrated by the Islamic State.
“I am outraged and grieved by the recent attacks in some countries against Christian and minority communities. This is an offense against humanity as well as Islam. Arab Christians are an integral part of our region’s past, present and future” Abdullah said.
In February, 21 Coptic Christians were beheaded by the Islamic State in Libya, and most recently over 200 Christians were abducted by members of the Islamic State in Syria. In contrast, Christians in Jordan are subject to little hardship, and because of this, many Christians have taken refuge in Jordan as they flee the Islamic State.
“Jordan is a Muslim country, with a deeply-rooted Christian community,” the Jordan King told Parliament. “Together, the Jordanian people make up an indivisible society, friends and partners in building our country.”
Today Jordan has 172,000 Christians living within it’s borders among the 7.6 million Muslim-majority population. Jordan’s Christians have dwindled from nearly 20% of the population in 1930 to about 5% they make up today.
The main cause of this change in population is the migrations of Palestinians, Iraqis and Syrians fleeing extremism in their home countries, in addition to higher birth rates among Muslim families.
The Jordanian King spoke of how Muslims have a critical role in global understanding. and tolerance, stating that Islam upholds equal human dignity of every person and that extremists who deny these truths are outnumbered by 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide.
“More than a thousand years before the Geneva Conventions, Muslim soldiers were ordered not to kill a child, a woman or an old person, not to destroy a tree, not to harm a priest, not to destroy a church,” Abdullah said. “These are the same values of Islam we were taught in school as children: not to destroy or desecrate a place where God is worshiped, not a mosque, not a church, not a synagogue.”
Abdullah concluded by calling on European leaders to help Middle Eastern countries create peace and religious tolerance in the region.
“Our regions, our people, can find no better partners and neighbors than each other. History, geography and future bind us. Let no one separate us, Abdullah said. ” Together, we can create pillars of mutual respect that will support the common good for generations to come.”
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Europe and Australia, European Union, Highlight, Islamophobia, Jordan
Well done and well said King Abduallah; keep it up.
Yes, well done and well said. I hope they also be well heard and practiced.
I second Mr. Zia Shah.
According to the Holy Quran, all children are born Muslims, it is their parents who make them Jew, Christian or others. This is one of the many reasons why now western peoples are reverting to Islam on their own free will. Through out the history, Muslims never forced non-Muslims to accept Islam. This is the main reason why Muslims lost Spain and India.
The beauty of Islam is that it is a religion which appeals to common sense. There is no blind belief or dogmatism in Islam. The fundamentals of Islam are simple, straightforward and easy to understand.
If Islam is so bad, then why is it the WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING RELIGION! It is also one of the youngest religions. However no matter how hard everyone tries to give Islam a bad name, it will be twice as more populated. So let’s get straight to the point yeah?, Basically Islam is the most hated religion I don’t know why hmm maybe because it is also the most fastest growing religion and 2nd largest but no one will be able to stop this religion from growing.
Islam is the fastest growing faith in Britain. Hundreds and thousands of Brits are reverting to Islam. By the middle of this century, over half of Brits would be Muslims.
“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of
its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to
possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which
can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him – the wonderful man
and in my opinion for from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the
saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the
dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems
in a way that would bring it the much
needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad
that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to
be acceptable to the Europe of today.” [G.B. Shaw, THE GENUINE ISLAM,
Vol. No. 81936.]
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
I’m sure King Abdullah is worried. He knows that as the world looks on, the Christians and other non-Muslims of the Middle East are fleeing and dying under the yoke of Islam, causing Muslim countries to lose a productive and pacifistic dhimmi population that will never, ever return. Instead, Muslims will be left with themselves, their sectarian hatreds, their tribal intolerances and only the memory of the ancient non-Muslim populations who never did them a bit of harm. Most of these non-Muslims will ultimately move to the West, become integrated into Western nations and disappear as unique religious and ethnic groups after over 2,000 years. Some Middle East Muslims will be pleased with this result, and some will be displeased, but the fact of it is a foregone conclusion now.
Let His Majesty go to Riyadh and make the same statement. There is where his preaching on the peaceful coexistence of religions is needed to be heard most.
good ！
An eloquent and well considered speech from the King. In Shaa Allah his future actions will be fully consistent with matters of deen as determined by a concensus of the most learned in our blessed Ulema.
May Allah SWT provide him with guidance.
What happens, if the consensus of the ‘most learned ulema’ does not support the King’s position? Or if the King is just posturing for the audience he addressed?
Let him take the same message to Riyadh which is closer to Amman than where he delivered his speech, if he serious about it.