September 14, 2005
Jordan's king Abdullah II has urged Islamic scholars and leaders to reclaim the religion from extremists. Speaking at New York's Catholic University of America, Abdullah said: "The ultimate goal is to take back our religion from the vocal, violent and ignorant extremists who have tried to hijack Islam over the last hundred years. They do not speak for Islam any more than a Christian terrorist speaks for Christianity." The Jordanian monarch pointed toward his government's initiative known as the "Amman Message". It was launched last year in a bid to encourage fellow Muslims to reject extremism and embrace tolerance and acceptance.
The king said the initiative had prompted scholars representing Islam's various schools of thought to agree that religious edicts could not be handed down by people such as Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his Iraq front man Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, as both lacked the proper qualifications and religious knowledge.
King Abdullah on Monday met with Pope Benedict XVI at his summer residence near Rome, saying he wanted to establish an honest dialogue between the Islamic world and the West.