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Di spatches|responses
Embassy OF Saudi Arabia
King Abdullah: ‘Reformer, peacemaker’
By Osamah bin Ahmad Al Sanosi
Ahmad
In a nebulous environment where
culture and tradition are intertwined
with Islamic religious beliefs on one
hand and modernity flooding through
an era of globalization on the other, The
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, has made
a clear mark by balancing continuity of
traditional values, upholding the noble
teachings of Islam and introducing widespread
reform in a manner that has captured
the hearts and minds of his people.
His reform initiatives, along with his tireless
efforts to achieve peace in the region,
supporting human rights and introducing
a culture characterized by open and
transparent dialogue, ranked him as the
third most powerful man in the world,
according to the leading American business
magazine, Forbes. But to get to know
King Abdullah is to understand that he
does not seek power; rather his sincere
efforts are to shoulder the responsibilities
in order to have a secure, moderate,
sustainable and functional society, locally
and regionally.
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and reform
Newsweek published a Top-10 list of the
most respected leaders around the world
in August 2010 and King Abdullah was
featured on that list as a “reformer.” When
asked about his initiatives, King Abdullah
explained that the reform project in
the Kingdom began with the late King
Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman, who laid
the foundation and the framework for a
modern state. It is a little known fact that
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was an ununified
region that consisted of tribal forces
and rulers. The Saud family founded the
50
Prime Minister Stephen Harper greets King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz at an official dinner at
the G20 Summit in Toronto.
Kingdom by unifying the region through
establishing a new political, social, and
structural society while preserving the
basic principles and policies recognized by
the people of that region. The founder of
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz
bin Abdulrahman, adopted the values,
traditions and customs of the people
in return for their allegiance to the new
unified state, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom continues to respect that
mutual understanding and works in uniformity
with its people towards achieving
a government that is based on the pure
principles of Islam, while preserving Arab
values and introducing gradual changes
that respect the Saudi heritage. These
changes are to place Saudi Arabia as a
leading player in the global market.
The daunting task of reform was
started by King Abdullah before he was
crowned King. Even as crown prince, he
realized that the challenge of change is a
balance that needs to preserve deep tra-
FALL 2011 | OCT-NOV-DEC
The Canadian Press Images/ Paul Chiasson