Jordanian king outlines ‘path to peace’

Jordanian king outlines ‘path to peace’

WASHINGTON — On Sept. 13, Jordan’s King Abdullah II called on Jews, Christians and Muslims around the world to “live by a common word of faith” in order to defeat religious extremism. The king, in a speech at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, said Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed his respect for Muslim people and his commitment to dialogue during an audience with Abdullah Sept. 12. “But there are those who think there is or will be a clash of civilizations, and … this idea is held by far too many people, both in the West and Muslim countries,” Abdullah said during his 15-minute speech. “Worse, there are those who want conflict to occur and are actively working to that end. For all our sakes, we must turn away from such a path. We need a dialogue of deeds as well as words,” he said. The speech, titled Traditional Islam: the Path to Peace, was the king’s only major address in Washington before he headed to the U.N. General Assembly, which opened Sept. 14 in New York.