OMAN: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon promotes inter-faith dialogue at Omani mosque

Record ID: 560315

  • Title: OMAN: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon promotes inter-faith dialogue at Omani mosque
  • Date: 19th January 2011
  • Summary: MUSCAT, OMAN (JANUARY 19, 2011) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON ENTERING SULTAN QABOOS GRAND MOSQUE MOSQUE INTERIOR OMANI GUIDES SPEAKING TO BAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "Having seen the ancient treasureship and great Oman voyage, I was very much impressed and inspired by the proud Maritime history of Oman, and this is a symbol of a very rich cultural and historical heritage of Oman, and this demonstrates that our ancestors have opened the way for globalisation which we are now enjoying. This is a symbol that demonstrates that even the differences of culture, civilisation and religion can promote mutual understanding, a higher level of tolerance, and people can thrive on a beneficiary, peaceful and prosperous world. This is a very strong message that we can send to our people." BAN LOOKS AT CHANDELIER CHANDELIER HANGING FROM CEILING VARIOUS OF GUIDES SPEAKING TO BAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "I'm very privileged and honoured to pay a visit to this Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, not only is this beautiful in terms of architecture, it is also awesome and inspiring and this a testament to the importance of religion, the culture, among the different people, can promote better understanding, higher tolerance for the Alliance of Civilisations. The United Nations is promoting through the initiative of the Alliance of Civilisations so the whole world people can live peacefully, harmoniously, through mutual understanding, mutual awareness and also tolerance." BAN POSING WITH LOCALS FOR PHOTO (SOUNDBITE) (English) UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "Yes, of course it's very important that we promote dialogue between different civilisations and different faiths. Oman and the countries in this region since the 7th century during the time of the Prophet Mohammad has been trying to promote cultural understanding, tolerance through their voyage and through their trade and exchange of civilisation. I'm very much inspired by this historical experience." WOMEN WALKING IN MOSQUE COURTYARD VARIOUS OF MOSQUE VARIOUS OF BAN IN MARITIME MUSEUM BAN SIGNING GUESTBOOK BAN BEING AWARDED GIFT IN MUSEUM
  • Embargoed: 3rd February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Oman, Oman
  • Country: Oman
  • Topics: International Relations,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA9TZHZHBQ47AL5G8MROKGOWUCN
  • Story Text: UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon visited Oman's largest mosque on Wednesday (January 19) and praised the country's attitude towards dialogue between faiths and cultures, saying Oman has been active for generations in promoting tolerance between different civilisations.
    Ban said the country's rich maritime history and historical trade links with China exposed the people to different cultures centuries before the advent of present-day globalisation and its integration of cultures, societies and economies.
    "Having seen the ancient treasureship and great Oman voyage, I was very much impressed and inspired by the proud Maritime history of Oman, and this is a symbol of a very rich cultural and historical heritage of Oman, and this demonstrates that our ancestors have opened the way for globalisation which we are now enjoying. This is a symbol that demonstrates that even the differences of culture, civilisation and religion can promote mutual understanding, a higher level of tolerance, and people can thrive on a beneficiary, peaceful and prosperous world. This is a very strong message that we can send to our people," he said.
    Ban took a tour of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and said the UN hopes to promote understanding between followers of the world's major faiths.
    "I'm very privileged and honoured to pay a visit to this Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, not only is this beautiful in terms of architecture, it is also awesome and inspiring and this a testament to the importance of religion, the culture, among the different people, can promote better understanding, higher tolerance for the Alliance of Civilisations," he said.
    "The United Nations is promoting through the initiative of the Alliance of Civilisations so the whole world people can leave peacefully, harmoniously, through mutual understanding, mutual awareness and also tolerance," Ban added.
    The mosque, built in 1992, boasts an indoor prayer hall that can receive 6,500 worshippers.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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