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In
the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful
Your
Excellency Prof. Katsuhiko Shirai,
Faculty members.
Dear
attendants,
Peace
be with you:
I feel so happy to be among you today in this
great monument of scholarship. Thanks for this kind
invitation by the university.
I would like to use this opportunity to
assure you of the great importance we give to
scholarship in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the
country’s establishment. Science and knowledge are some
the significant foundations which life is based, earth
is developed by, nations are nourished with and cultures
are diversified in. They are the causes of continuing
development and modernization and discovering the
secrets of the creation of God, the Almighty in this
universe.
Dear
Friends:
We, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, give
prominence to cultural relations since they are an
important tool in bringing nations closer and
facilitating common understanding among coexistent
civilizations. The result of this will be establishing
peace and living under the umbrella of cooperation and
mutual benefits in all areas of life.
I am so convinced that balanced dialogue
among cultures which is based on mutual respect will
contribute to overcoming differences and preventing the
possibilities of conflicts among nations.
In this place and time, I would like to
emphasize the call of the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz in which he
condemns the idea of the clash of civilizations. He also
called for the peaceful and constructive coexistence
among civilizations. This is to make the next stage of
relations among states and nations a stage of real
dialogue in which every party respects the other.
Mr.
President of the University,
Ladies
and Gentlemen,
This human call for peaceful coexistence is
well established in our Islamic religion, God, Allah the
Almighty, has said:
(O
mankind, We have created you from a male and a female
and made into nations and tribes, so that you many know
one other. Verily, the best among you in the sight of
God are the most pious).
This call comes in due time as the human
society has been suffering from wide spread wars,
conflicts and occupying land by force. It also comes in
a time where the possibilities for civilizational
conflict would lead only to the deepening of difference,
the enhancement of the profiling of races and classes
and the spreading of the spirit of animosity and hate.
Therefore, we call upon the world community
to intensify efforts in supporting peaceful and
constructive coexistence among nations and the respect
of the human being as well as rejecting all forms of
discrimination, violence, extremism and aggression.
We also call, from this ancient university,
for more cooperation in the various areas of scientific
research which will be of benefit and goodness for all
humanity.
Mr.
President of the University,
Ladies
and Gentlemen
We, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, honor the
high status which Japan has reached in all scientific
and technological fields. We appreciate the existing
cooperation among the academic institutions in our two
countries.
In order to strengthen this fruitful
cooperation, I am glad to announce here that the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn
Abdul Aziz has issued his directives to the Ministry of
Higher Education in Saudi Arabia to include Japan as one
of the countries whom Saudi students will be sent to.
I am so confident that expanding the
scholarly cooperation between our two counties in the
various fields will contribute to the development of our
relations.
Towards the end, I would like to thank you
all. I am so honored by this kind gesture as you have
decided to offer me this thigh and prestigious honorary
degree. I hope that this occasion will contribute to
building a new era in the cultural and academic
relations between our two countries who are bonded by
friendship.
Peace
be with you.
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