|
World Economic Forum's West and Islam Dialoge Community gives major international award to H.R.H The Prince of Wales Davos, Switzerland, 26 January 2008 – The World Economic Forum’s Community of West and Islam Dialogue presented a special award to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for his notable work in promoting dialogue and cooperation between Islam and the West. In a pre-recorded screening of the ceremony shown to members of the C100 at the Annual Meeting 2008 in Davos, Lord Carey of Clifton, former Archbishop of Canterbury, and H.R.H. Prince Turki Al Faisal of Saudi Arabia presented the award together with H.R.H. Princess Noura representing H.R.H. Princess Lolowah Al Faisal. They expressed sincere gratitude to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales for his long-standing commitment to promoting the shared moral and humanitarian principles of all faiths and his untiring work for understanding around the world. Members of the Community who joined in the delivery of the award included:
At the ceremony, Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, in recognizing the work of H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, commended his "sustained work over the course of more than 30 years in community building with Muslims through the Prince’s Trust and many other avenues reaching out to those who feel alienated." He highly praised His Royal Highness as a vital "ambassador for the ideals that we all share and live by." In the ceremony, which took place in London last month, H.R.H. Prince Turki Al Faisal added: "You challenge those who have faith to stand up and not only declare their beliefs, but also to adhere to them and act upon them. Your calls for understanding have resonated throughout the Muslim world." Accepting the award, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales said he was delighted and honoured to receive it. He went on to stress that the need for the "Islamic and Western worlds to live and work together in our increasingly interdependent world has never been greater" but that "the basis for mutual peace and harmony already exists in the founding principles that are shared by the great Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. ... The challenge to overcome misunderstanding and intolerance is there. It will need hard practical work on a scale commensurate to the challenge to win through." The Community for West and Islam Dialogue was created to clarify the factors that cause doubt and misunderstanding and to help overcome the tensions. It comprises public figures and business leaders as well as key media, religious and academic personalities from across the Western and Islamic worlds. A significant achievement of the Community is the first Annual Report on the State of Dialogue, published this week in collaboration with Georgetown University. Since 2006, the award presented each year by the Community recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improving dialogue and understanding. The previous award was given to boxing legend Muhammad Ali, honouring his work to promote respect, hope and understanding among children and adults.
Notes to Editors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. (www.weforum.org) |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||