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Washington, DC: King Abdullah II of Jordan receives 2018 Templeton Prize

November 19, 2018King Abdullah with Heather Templeton Dill By: Elaine Koerner His Majesty Abdullah II, King of Jordan, received the 2018 Templeton Prize last night in Washington, DC at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Washington, widely known as Washington National Cathedral. He is renowned for his tireless work to promote peace and mutual respect both within Islam and between Islam and other religions. Templeton Foundation President Heather Templeton Dill presented the Prize. She described His Majesty as “a spiritual entrepreneur, a person shaped by temporal and political responsibilities, yet one who holds the conviction that religious belief and the free expression of religion are among humankind’s most important callings.” King Abdullah accepted the prize on behalf of all Jordanians. He reaffirmed the commitment to fight extremism, saying Islam is not about “cherry picking verses from the Koran to justify a political agenda.” He described jihad as the “internal struggle we all share to bring about peace and ...

King in US to receive Templeton Prize for interfaith harmony efforts

November 12, 2018His Majesty King Abdullah meets with members of the Hashemite Commission for Soldiers with Disabilities team, which participated in the 2018 Invictus Games, on Thursday (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)   Amman — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday departed on a working visit to Washington, DC, during which His Majesty will be receiving the Templeton Prize in appreciation for his efforts to promote interfaith harmony, safeguard Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites and protect religious freedom, a Royal Court statement said. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein was sworn in as Regent, in the presence of Cabinet members. The Templeton Prize ceremony will be held on November 13 at the Washington National Cathedral to celebrate King Abdullah’s achievements, in the presence of around 600 political, religious, intellectual, academic and media figures. His Majesty will deliver a speech at the ceremony, organised by the John Templeton Foundation, to highlight the importance of interfaith harmony and cooperation in countering hatred and ...

King honours winners of World Interfaith Harmony Week prize

April 26, 2018Prince Ghazi underlines growth in quantity and ‘quality’ of projects competing for award     His Majesty King Abdullah poses for a group photo with winners of World Interfaith Harmony Week competition in Amman on Tuesday (Photo courtesy of Royal Court) AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday attended the 2018 King Abdullah II World Interfaith Harmony Week prize ceremony at Al Husseiniya Palace and presented awards to the winners. Launched by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in 2013, the annual prize is awarded to three activities or texts that best promote the values connected to the World Interfaith Harmony Week, which is celebrated in the first week of February and was launched by King Abdullah and unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2010. In remarks at the ceremony, HRH Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, thanked the King for spearheading the World Interfaith Harmony Week ...

Jordan participates in an interfaith event in Indonesia

February 17, 2018  Jakarta, Feb. 15 (Petra)-Jordan’s Ambassador to Indonesia Walid Al Hadid took part in the Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations ceremony to celebrate the World Interfaith Harmony Week, held at the Jakarta Convention Center. The ceremony, organized by the Office of the Indonesian President’s Special Envoy, M.Din Syamsuddin, who said this event is in line with His Majesty King Abdullah II initiative launched in September 2010 to celebrate the World Interfaith Harmony Week annually, which was adopted by the United Nation General Assembly in October 2010. The gathering was attended by representatives of the six officially recognized religions in Indonesia: Islam, Christianity (Protestantism), Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.   SOURCE

‘Happy Chinese New Year’, says S’pore’s top Muslim leader in inaugural greetings

February 17, 2018Reiterating that Singapore’s social cohesion did not “simply happen on its own”, the Mufti of Singapore, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, sent Chinese New Year greetings on behalf of the Muslim community — the first time the Republic’s top Muslim leader has done so publicly. TODAY file photo SINGAPORE — Reiterating that Singapore’s social cohesion did not “simply happen on its own”, the Mufti of Singapore on Wednesday (Feb 14) sent Chinese New Year greetings on behalf of the Muslim community — the first time the Republic’s top Muslim leader has done so publicly. (Click to enlarge) In a media statement, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram said: “It gives me great pleasure to take this opportunity to wish the Chinese community in Singapore a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year. We are truly blessed with the gift of peace, prosperity and strong friendship bonds between people of all faith communities and ethnic groups in Singapore.” Responding to TODAY’s queries, the Islamic Religious ...