JEDDAH – Prince Khaled Al-Faisal Chair to Deepen Moderate Saudi Approach has been transformed into a center for moderation to fight all forms of extremism. The center will be named after the prince.
Prince Khaled, adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Emir of Makkah region, has been appraised the transformation plan.
The Prince Khaled Center will conduct workshops and dialogue forums in different parts of the Kingdom to educate young men and women about the importance of following moderation.
It will also organize lectures, seminars and conferences as well as competitions for students and youth festivals to create a new generation of youth who are free from extremism.
The center will enlighten Saudis about the danger posed by extremist and terrorist organizations to national security and stability.
Addressing a meeting held on the occasion, the governor emphasized that moderation is the need of hour. “Islam is based on moderate teachings,” he added.
“Destructive thoughts and movements have shattered the Ummah,” Prince Khaled said. “The research works conducted by the center must be transformed into a working plan and initiatives to achieve the center’s objectives,” he told senior officials who attended the meeting.
“We have to inculcate deep the values of moderation in the minds of youth as well as in the general public,” the prince said while praising the chair’s efforts to combat extremism.
The chair has received two prizes, one national and the other regional, in appreciation of its services in spreading the values of moderateness and fighting terrorism.
The chair conducted 72 research works on 6,618 pages and provided training to more than 30,000 young Saudi men and women. It also provided educational guidelines to combat extremism.
“The chair was established on the directive of Prince Khaled in order to continue the efforts to fight extremism and terrorism in light of the presence of organizations and groups that promote terror in the region and foil attempts by those organizations to recruit Saudi youth,” said an official who gave a presentation on the new center.
Prince Khaled said the center would highlight the Kingdom’s efforts to promote moderation in all forums and enlighten the danger posed by extremism that threatens national unity.
Efforts are being made to spread moderate thoughts and teachings in the Saudi society. “The vast expanse of the Kingdom demands greater efforts in this field,” the official said.
“We have to adopt all modern means to fight extremist ideologies and thoughts by enlightening the youth and protecting them from falling into the gutters of extremism,” the official said.
He said the transformation of the chair into a center would help highlight the Kingdom’s contribution to promote moderation and deepen the spirit of patriotism.
“The center will document the efforts made by Saudi leaders over the past years to spread the values of moderation among its people. The center will recruit highly qualified researchers and experts to achieve its objectives,” the official added.
The center will try to expose the motives of terrorist and extremist organizations around the world and the methods they follow to entice and recruit young men and women.
“It will also coordinate with relevant authorities to promote moderateness through school and university syllabus.”
