His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday said “inclusion is the path to the coexistence we need to build strong successful countries”.

In a speech at a New Delhi conference on “Islamic Heritage: Promoting Harmony and Coexistence” which was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a large number of Muslim scholars, political, religious, intellectual, media, and student leaders, King Abdullah said inclusion is “our strongest defence against turmoil and our greatest promise of a future of prosperity, security, and peace”.

“We need to take back the airwaves, and the Internet from the voices of hatred—those who have victimised our world, not only with bombs and terror, but with ignorance and lies,” the King urged, stressing that “today’s global war against terror is not a fight between different religions or peoples. It is between moderates, of all faiths and communities, against extremists whose faith is hate and violence.”

“We need to recognise and reject the misinformation such groups promote about Islam, or indeed, any other faith,” His Majesty underlined.

“To understand each other. To recognise our shared humanity. To act righteously in the sight of God. This is my faith, the faith I teach my children; the faith shared by 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, a quarter of humanity,” the King said.

“We need to make sure young people learn the true values of our religions. And let us teach them to honour our shared civilisation of global learning,” His Majesty added, noting the efforts of Muslim and Hindu scholars in preserving ancient texts.

“Today, academics and scientists across the world share ideas that can take us all into an exciting future of prosperity and peace,” the King noted.

“Our peoples need to ensure that no one, no one is excluded from the promise of that future. We cannot afford to allow young people to be left without hope, trapped in isolation, and vulnerable to the false promises of outlaw groups,” His Majesty stressed.

“This is not just the responsibility of institutions and public bodies, global and national—as important as they are. It is at heart a matter for every person, in how we live our daily lives, in how we treat others, and in our strong hand of friendship.

“Today, let all people, Muslim and non-Muslim, reach out to each other. In the hands of friendship, we have the power to grasp a better future for our entire world,” the King urged.

Prime Minister Modi also delivered a speech, in which he expressed appreciation for His Majesty’s visit and attendance of the conference.

He praised the King’s major contributions to show the true image of Islam, highlighting the values of the “Amman Message”.

Modi gave the King an Urdu copy of the book “A Thinking Person’s Guide to Islam: The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Qur’an” by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammed—His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy—which was launched at the conference.

“Indian democracy is a celebration of our age-old plurality,” the prime minister said, noting that the fight against terrorism is not against any religion; it aims to counter ideologies that lead misguided youth into committing atrocities against innocent people.

Also speaking at the conference, Professor Akhtarul Wasey, the president of Maulana Azad University of Jodhpur, paid tribute to Muslim scholars in India who have worked to highlight the teachings Islam, which call for justice and equality.

He stressed the importance of Jordanian-Indian cooperation in pursuit of peace, tolerance, and moderation to build a bright future for humanity.