11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Meshaal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Al-Qassim Region, affirmed that the most prominent rooting of the values of coexistence in our dear country is the gathering of Muslims in the House of Allah Al-Haram and in the Mosque of His Messenger, upon whom be the best of prayers and peace, from all nationalities and sects. This is a close example, not a distant one, where the world sees them all praying in one place, behind one imam. He pointed out that this is the pinnacle of coexistence, far from racism, factionalism, and sectarianism. This great coexistence presents a pure white image of Islam, the message of Islam, and the unity of Muslims.

This took place during His Highness's patronage of the conference «The Kingdom's Efforts in Consolidating the Values of Moderation and Civilizational Coexistence: Concepts and Practices,» on Tuesday morning, Safar 24, 1441 AH, organized by the university, represented by the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies. The conference was attended by His Excellency Professor Dr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Dawood, President of the University, Professor Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Turki, Advisor at the Royal Court, His Excellency Dr. Osama Al-Sayed Al-Azhari, Religious Advisor to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Fawzan, Secretary-General of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, the conference patron, His Eminence Sheikh Mansour bin Ali Al-Qar'awi, university vice presidents, deans of colleges, and a number of speakers from inside and outside the Kingdom.

His Highness the Emir of Al-Qassim, during his speech, pointed out that the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) dealings with people of other religions and non-Muslims were characterized by kindness and tolerance, which had a profound impact and serve as an excellent example for others to follow. He emphasized that the manifestations of coexistence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are evident in the stability and balance maintained over the past years with friends worldwide, whether individuals, institutions, or governments. He also highlighted the Kingdom's openness to all nations seeking goodness and pursuing the interests of their people, regardless of race or religion. He explained that the Kingdom has great diversity in terms of tribes, social backgrounds, sects, cultures, jurisprudential schools (both Fiqhi and non-Fiqhi), ideologies, and customs, all of whom are equal in citizenship, rights, and duties.

His Highness explained that the Kingdom's moderation has enabled it to confront all extremists, extremists, terrorists, and those who are morally and intellectually corrupt. This has been achieved through the establishment of systems and regulations that guarantee moderation and spread it among people, in educational curricula, in people's public lives, and through continuous scientific efforts. This is in addition to founding the King Abdullah International Center, the Center for Dialogue of Civilizations at Imam University, the National Dialogue Center, and the Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Center for Moderation. He noted that the Kingdom's preservation of its approach to supporting Islamic centers in other countries and its continued significant support for these centers represent the pinnacle of moderation and the dissemination of the Islamic call.

He added that Hajj and Umrah are among the most prominent manifestations of moderation, due to the companionship, love, security, and safety they foster among Muslims. Furthermore, the Kingdom strives to consolidate the values of moderation and civilizational coexistence by holding numerous conferences, meetings, and workshops in this regard, exerting significant efforts to support such initiatives. These include the establishment of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, whose services extend to all needy and affected countries worldwide. He prayed to God to perpetuate love among Muslims, and to guide the participants of this conference towards goodness and rectitude, as well as everyone who contributed to its success.

The two-day conference aims to monitor Saudi efforts related to consolidating the values of moderation and civilizational coexistence at all levels, and to demonstrate the impact of Saudi religious discourse in spreading the concepts of civilizational coexistence. It also aims to provide a religious basis for the values of human communication and address its challenges, highlight the role of governmental and non-governmental religious and cultural institutions in bridging relationships with others, and introduce Saudi diplomatic efforts and relief organizations in deepening the meanings of shared communication and drawing inspiration from Saudi pioneering experiences over the past years and decades.

For his part, His Excellency the President of the University, the General Supervisor of the conference, spoke about the determination of our homeland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to move forward steadily – praise be to God Almighty – towards successfully achieving its plans and goals with distinct successes, in light of a global reality teeming with problems and pulled by polarizations and transformations. This is accompanied by its constitution based on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, and in accordance with a comprehensive strategic vision based on the principle of integration at all levels. He noted that Vision 2030 represents a roadmap for sustainable development towards an ambitious nation, a prosperous economy, and a vibrant society, based on the Saudi human being, who is its pillar and essence.

Al-Dawood referred to a speech by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosings, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may God protect him, at the opening of this comprehensive vision, in which he said: “My first goal is for our country to be a successful and leading model in the world at all levels, and I will work with you to achieve this,” followed by a speech by the architect of the vision, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Minister of Defense, may God protect him, in which he said: “Our vision for our country that we want: a strong and prosperous country that embraces everyone, its constitution is Islam, and its methodology is moderation, accepting others.”.

The university president explained that this conference, organized by your university, Qassim University, represented by the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies, stems from this unique vision and is based on the Kingdom's extensive efforts to spread the correct concepts of Islam. It aims to shed academic light on these efforts in the field of human communication based on moderation and balance, which is carried out and reinforced by state agencies and institutions, in accordance with a firm Islamic principle. The Kingdom bases its relations with others – despite differences in nations, environments, cultures, and fields – on a legitimate principle expressed by the Holy Quran as mutual recognition when it says: "And We have made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another" (Al-Hujurat 49:13). Thus, we find that coexistence and human communication are necessities of mutual recognition based on justice, respect, and the achievement of human interests.

“Al-Dawood” affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's efforts in this vital field, in terms of concepts, positions, and applications, are extensive, broad, and comprehensive. Therefore, this conference came to discuss a number of themes, including the Islamic basis for the values of human communication and addressing its challenges, Saudi Islamic discourse and its impact on spreading the concepts of communication, the role of governmental and non-governmental Islamic and cultural institutions in bridging the relationship with the "other," diplomatic efforts in deepening the meanings of common communication, the role of relief organizations, in addition to pioneering personal experiences.

The university president expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for the unlimited support the university has received, and to His Highness the Governor of Qassim for honoring and encouraging the university's various activities. Thanks are also extended to the colleagues responsible for the preparation and organization of this conference, specifically mentioning the organizing committee headed by His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Bani Al-Harbi, Vice President for Planning, Development, and Quality, and to the colleagues in the scientific committee headed by our colleague, His Eminence Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies, Dr. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Aba Al-Khail, and all colleagues in the various departments.

After that, the head of the conference organizing committee, Prof. Dr. Khalid Bani Al-Harbi, UQU Vice President for Planning, Development and Quality, spoke about the countries that write their history with the good values they offer to this world, where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, praise be to God, has laid solid foundations since its establishment by the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman, where the Kingdom adhered to Islam as a method and practice, but also policy and education, and persisted with its leaders until the reign of the custodian of our renaissance King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince, may God bless them both, establishing understanding and cultural understanding in its comprehensive concept in all the joints of life.

“Al-Harbi” added that the scientific committee, led by Dr. Khaled bin Abdulaziz Aba Al-Khail, Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at the university, has received numerous abstracts and research ideas since the announcement of the conference's organization. This effort has resulted in the participation of more than 9 countries with approximately 30 researchers contributing a number of qualitative research papers to cover the conference's themes and objectives. We have been blessed by God with this conference, finding a partner in success represented by our strategic partner, His Excellency Sheikh Mansour bin Ali Al-Qarawi. To him, we offer our most abundant thanks, greatest praise, and highest appreciation for the constructive and fruitful cooperation he has always provided. We look forward to this distinguished partnership continuing on many occasions.

The head of the organizing committee of the conference thanked the participating entities, which are: the Intellectual Warfare Center of the Ministry of Defense, the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, the General Directorate for Combating Extremism of the National Security Agency, and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. He also commended the cooperating entities for their contributions to the success of this conference.

Following this, His Excellency Dr. Osama Al-Sayed Al-Azhari, Advisor to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt for Religious Affairs, delivered a speech on behalf of the conference participants. He spoke about the Kingdom's great efforts in the field of moderation and coexistence, including the Muslim World League, which was established sixty years ago and has served for decades as a host for Muslim scholars from East and West to discuss major issues concerning Muslims. He also mentioned the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, established in 2010 by Saudi Arabia, Austria, and Spain, along with the Vatican as a founding observer member. Furthermore, he highlighted the International Centre for the Combat of Extremist Ideology (E'tidal), established in 2017, whose mission is to combat extremism, eradicate its roots, confront it, and promote tolerance and coexistence among peoples.

Al-Azhari added that among the Kingdom's diligent efforts in this field is the Makkah Document, signed in Ramadan 1440 AH on the sidelines of the international conference on the values of moderation and tolerance organized by the Muslim World League in the Kingdom. The document stipulated combating terrorism, injustice, and oppression, rejecting the violation of human rights and dignity, and establishing the values of moderation and coexistence among different religions, cultures, ethnicities, and sects in the Islamic world. He also referred to the generous patronage by the Kingdom of major Islamic scientific institutions that have spent centuries instilling the values of moderation, such as Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and others. He concluded his speech on behalf of the conference guests by wishing success, good fortune, and sound judgment for all, and wishing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the land of Kinanah, Egypt, and our homelands security, prosperity, and well-being.

Finally, a video was shown about the conference, its objectives, and its vision. Then, His Highness the Governor of the Qassim Region honored the participants.