Banquet hosted in honor of Imam Haram, Al-Sudais

New Delhi - 29 March 2011: The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Dr. K. Rahman Khan welcomed Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, Imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah to India and held a banquet in his honor here on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Khan lauded the role of the Al-Sudais as a voice of sanity in the Muslim world and spreading the real message of Islam as a religion of peace, harmony and coexistence.

He also praised Al-Sudais' stress on inter-faith dialogue between the world religions to avoid clash of civilizations and foster amity, peace and progress of a unified mankind in the emerging globalized world.

He dwelt at length on the time-tested centuries old cordial and friendly relations that India and Saudi Arabia have been enjoying together.

He also explained the status of the Muslim minority in India, who formed the world's third largest Muslim population and how they enjoy legal and constitutional rights as equal partners and how all people in the country were co-existing despite their religious, lingual and cultural plurality and that spoke volumes of the civilizational strength of India.

Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Ministers Kumari Selja, Panabaka Lakshmi, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan and many other prominent political leaders, eminent Islamic scholars, social thinkers, diplomats, cross sections of Muslims, and dignitaries, were present.

Source: Arab News