He congratulated the audience on reaching the last ten days of Ramadan, wishing the Islamic nation a happy return of the occasion.
He thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the invitation and for hosting the summit which, he said, comes in a crucial time of the Islamic nation’s history.
He praised the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque’s opening speech in which he called on rallying Muslims’ ranks and promoting intellectual, economic and political cooperation among them to best serve Islam and mankind.
HM hailed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque’s proposal to set up a centre for dialogue between all Islamic sects and doctrines to be based in Saudi Arabia.
HM King Hamad described Islam as the religion of unity and solidarity, a religion that includes all peoples, sects and races and rejects acts of hatred, divide and sedition.
He went on to say that the Palestinian issue is central in joint Islamic action and needs serious work to work out a just, permanent and comprehensive solution to it by establishing an independent Palestinian state with its capital Al-Quds as per the UN resolutions, the Arab peace initiative and the decisions of the international quartet.
HM expressed concern over targeting the sanctity of sacred places in Al-Quds and changing their identity, calling on the international community to activate its resolutions to stop the Israeli continuous transgression and desecration of those places and stressing the need to respect the UN Security Council’s resolutions, the principles of international legitimacy and Geneva agreements which ban causing geographic or demographic changes in occupied lands.
HM the King expressed regret over the fast-paced and unfortunate developments in Syria which claimed the lives of thousands of the Syrian people, calling for a serious reflection on the crisis’ dimensions as well as its internal, regional and international repercussions.
He called to give consideration to the Syrian people’s legitimate demands and humanitarian plight, urging the international community for a concerted stance to hammer out a political solution to the crisis that will put an end to violence and bloodshed and preserve the country’s unity and social cohesion.
HM called to provide support and assistance to the Muslim community in Myanmar as well as good advice to the government there.
He said the Islamic nations have made giant development leaps, being united by a common goal and an unflinching resolve to bring about further achievements and success for a prosperous present and a future full of hope for the next generations.
HM underlined the importance of the Islamic precepts and principles in paving the way for more cooperation and integration, mainly in the economic field.
He praised Bahrain’s experience in the financial and banking sector, underscoring its distinguished contributions to setting up and boosting Islamic banking since the seventies of last century.
HM called for a meeting to be held in Bahrain bringing together religious scholars, the intelligentsia and experts in the financial and banking sector to inform them about what has been achieved in Bahrain and exchange views and proposals so as to further bolster the development march of the Islamic nation, in cooperation with OIC and its affiliated institutions.
He also thanked OIC Secretary General Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu for his strenuous efforts to attain set up goals.