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| Volume IX, March 2002, Number 1 |
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| EXCERPT: Address to the Gulf Cooperation Council |
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| Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
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Prince Abdullah, heir apparent to King Fahd, is deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia and commander of the National Guard. The following is the text of the speech he gave at the twenty-second summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on December 30, 2001, in Muscat.1
Dear Brothers: We had hoped to meet today under better circumstances than those currently experienced by our Islamic and Arab community. The will of God Almighty, however, has necessitated that these conditions be imposed upon us, in order to test the resolve and the patience of true believers; as is mentioned in the Holy Quran in the verse: "If you persevere patiently and become pious, then verily, that will be a determining factor in all affairs."
Affliction and catastrophes are in fact opportunities and challenges that make it incumbent upon us to conduct self-scrutiny, review our attitudes and repair errors so that we can emerge -- God willing -- stronger than we were. The real and deadly risk is to face crises with hands folded and without spirit, and blame others instead of confronting the crises and taking responsibility for our role. Changing such a painful reality is not possible without changing ourselves. We need first to abide by and believe in the saying of God Almighty: "God will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves." My speech today will be based on this divine vision.
Dear Brothers: Our Arab and Muslim community has suffered severe harm as a result of the actions of murderers who have invoked the name of Islam, when Islam is totally innocent of their deeds. They claimed to support the Arab and Muslim community, but that community was the first victim of their evil actions. It is the duty of all Muslims today to forcefully and unequivocally condemn all acts of terror without hesitation, and to denounce whoever supports terrorists in word or deed. It is also their duty to point out the vast difference between the claims of terrorists and the legitimate struggles of any people for self-determination.
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| 1 Source: http://www.saudiembassy.net/press_release/01-spa/GCC-Abd-01.htm, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
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