Editor-in-chief of the Jordanian Arabic daily Al-Ghad Jumana Ghneimat has interviewed His Majesty King Abdullah focusing on current domestic and regional affairs.

The King said that “among the most devastating wars in history are those waged over sectarian divisions and the rejection of others because they tear the social fabric of countries and dismantle their institutions, forcing destructive sub-identities that reject pluralism, diversity and acceptance of others. The leading minds of the nation (Ummah) and the region must stand united against extremists to prevent them from hijacking the region’s destiny and the future of next generations and wasting their energies. With that in mind and out of the belief that we −as Hashemites − are a uniting rather than a dividing factor, we have sponsored many inter- and intra-faith dialogue initiatives that promote the values of moderation and coexistence, based on the true image of Islam. These initiatives include The Amman Message, A Common Word, World Interfaith Harmony Week, the recent General Conference of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought and “The Challenges Facing Arab Christians” conference. They exemplify the values that Jordan espouses and the efforts it is exerting in response to the challenges we have foreseen and warned against and to ward off dark destructive ideologies with an enlightened counter-thinking, based on our heritage of pluralism that reflects the real, positive image of Islam.”

The King reiterated his warning of the danger of using religion for political goals, saying: “We reaffirm the need to cast away the discourse of sectarian violence and divisions, and rise with our Arab and Muslim communities through participation rather than majoritarian rule, and by adopting the values of democracy and Shura − the epitome of political consensus in Islam.”

He also stressed the need to protect all religions and sects with historical and deep-rooted presence in our region − especially Arab Christians − and safeguard the freedoms of worship to avert the spread of segregation and negativity among members of various religions and sects.

He said: “We also warn against the blind religious oppression we have been witnessing, the latest of which has been against indigenous Arab Christian communities in Mosul. These practices are not even remotely connected to Islam.

He added: “The region’s countries − with their public and private religious, cultural, educational and media institutions − and moderate Islamist movements share the religious and historical responsibility to develop a clear position against extremist and apostatizing (takfiri) movements by fighting fundamentalism and instilling an enlightened, moderate religious awareness among our youths.”