It gives me pleasure to welcome you in Doha, and wish the activities of your seminar success in realizing the aspired objectives. There is no doubt that the convening of your seminar takes place under extremely difficult circumstances, namely the war, now going on in our region. We have done our best to avert this war and limit its complications as much as possible. This grievous situation adds deep dimensions and noble meanings to this seminar since it is a meeting for the sake of peace and reviving the sublime values and ideals of both Islam and Christianity, that believe in the oneness of the Almighty God, and call for fraternity, equality, tolerance, moderation, rejecting violence, respecting human rights, and maintaining man’s dignity, life and property.

      These sublime principles have for centuries formed the original common denominators between the two religions and cultures.

      Perhaps it is useful to recall that the Holy Qura’n ordered us not to argue with Jews and Christians except with the best and most gracious ways and to preach the right path with wisdom and good advise.

      Therefore we beseech God to bestow success on your work so that dialogue between civilizations overcomes the challenges and obstacles. We are quite sure that your high status and enlightened thoughts will address in this seminar, obstructions that hinder the course of civilized cooperation between the followers of the two faiths.

      Perhaps among the most evident obstructions are two major problems:

      First: The diversion of the course of the heavenly religions from the essence of their message and manipulating their tenets to serve political purposes.

      Second: Passing judgment on a whole nation through the behavior of a minority of extremists or ignorant people, and using some of their actions as a base to classify the whole nation, distort its civilization, threaten its interests and offend its established principles.

      In our view, these are the two original causes of the distorted and false stereotypes of Islam and Christianity, which we see here and there, portrayed by the media and propagated by racist writers, to widen the gap between the followers of the two religions, and make discord replace harmony and clash replace dialogue.

      Amidst the historical transformations we witness these days, we should not forget to point out that our Arab region is honoured by God the Almighty with the revelation of the messages of Moses and Jesus Christ, peace be upon them, and the daybreak of the Mohammedan Message.

      The Arab, Muslims, Jews and Christians, have lived together in peace, security and fraternity of faith and striving to excel in beneficence and common good. But the land of prophets and religions has for half a century been suffering, and is still, from the lack of security, peace and stability, as a result of persistence of the Arab Israeli conflict without a just settlement due to the absence of international legality.

Honourable Audience,

      We expect much from your seminar, and hope that your discussions and papers would go deep into the roots of those obstructions, and that you would find effective mechanisms to activate dialogue.

      I would like to take this opportunity to propose to you the formation of a permanent body for dialogue between Islam and Christianity, to be based in Qatar, which believes in the significance of such dialogue between civilizations and in the principles of affection, tolerance and consultation among societies and nations, and will be honoured to contribute to the efforts aimed at deepening understanding and promoting rapprochement and cooperation among Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

      In conclusion, I wish you all success and a pleasant stay in Doha.

May peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.