His Majesty King Abdullah participated on Sunday in the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh.

In remarks at the high-level meeting, attended by leaders from over 50 Muslim and Arab states, King Abdullah said the four major challenges facing the world and the region today are terrorism and extremism; resolving the Palestinian-Israeli peace conflict; safeguarding Jerusalem; and focusing on the values that protect humanity’s future.

Thanking the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Saudi Arabia for hosting the summit, His Majesty expressed his gratitude to US President Donald Trump for reaching out to Muslim nations as a priority on his first foreign tour as president.

Discussing the challenge of terrorism and extremism, the King said: “Only a holistic approach can address the complex layers of the threat, from its evil ideas to its attack on prosperity and security… this demands coordinated and global action at every level.”

“The fight will not be won if we do not recognise our friends as our friends and our enemies as our enemies,” His Majesty stressed, noting that terrorists “employ a false religious identity to mislead and polarise our societies and peoples”.

“Let us state here, clearly: Terrorist groups do not inhabit the fringes of Islam—they are altogether outside of Islam; they are khawarej, outlaws of Islam. Arabs and Muslims, as you pointed out, Sir, make up the majority of their victims,” the King told Trump and the attending heads of state and senior officials.

Turning to the second challenge, His Majesty called for a just and comprehensive settlement to the Palestinian cause, based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.

“No injustice has spread more bitter fruit than the absence of a Palestinian state. This is the core issue for our region, and it has driven radicalism and instability beyond our region and into the Muslim world,” the King noted, thanking President Trump for his determination to work towards bringing a settlement to “this festering conflict”.

“We will stand by you, Sir, in your efforts and work with you as partners.”

On the third challenge, His Majesty said Jerusalem is a strategic linchpin, vital to relationships among the three monotheistic faiths, warning that “attempts to create new negotiating facts on the ground will have a catastrophic impact”.

“To me personally, and to all Jordanians, the Hashemite Custodianship of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian Holy Sites is an unbreakable, historical responsibility, and an honour to undertake on behalf of the Arab and Muslim nations,” the King added.

The fourth task, His Majesty continued, is sharpening public focus on “the values that will protect and enrich humanity’s future: mutual respect, compassion, and acceptance”.

“In the Muslim world, the voice of traditional, moderate Islam has been stronger in recent years. We need to continue to build on that,” the King said, citing the Amman Message as an achievement that brought historic consensus by Muslim scholars over who is a Muslim, forbidding Takfir, and explicitly recognising the validity of the eight Mathahibs of Islam.

“The Three Articles of the Amman Message expose the false claims of those who would exploit religion to divide us,” His Majesty noted.

Stressing that “our future” is based on deeds, not words, the King added that “we are all accountable for our commitment to fight radicalisation in all its forms”.

His Majesty concluded by calling for enhancing joint efforts to better serve “our peoples and future generations”.

Read full speech here