His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday urged religious leaders to take courageous steps towards tolerance and conciliation and called for continued efforts to achieve peace, justice and respect among the followers of the three monotheistic faiths.



The King made his remarks during a meeting with Jewish-American religious leaders, the latest component of an unprecedented series of interfaith dialogues intended to combat global division and promote understanding among Muslim, Christian and Jewish believers.



In his meetings, the King called for an open and honest interfaith dialogue, to replace the notion of a clash of civilizations and interfaith tension.



"It is only by adopting this attitude that we can combat the extremist threat and live in peace with each other," he said.
On Tuesday, King Abdullah, on a working visit to the United States, met with Muslim American leaders at the Islamic Cultural Center in Washington, where he encouraged Muslim-Americans to work for peace, tolerance, and coexistence, and congratulated Muslim-Americans on their continuing efforts to reject violence perpetrated in the name of religion. Earlier in his trip, the King also met with Christian leaders in Washington and New York, where he delivered speeches at the Catholic University of America and Riverside Church, respectively. King Abdullah's interfaith meetings are part of an international initiative to counter religious tension and extremism.



En route to the United States, the Monarch met Pope Benedict XVI at the papal summer retreat Castel Gandolfo, in which both leaders agreed on the need to continue working to build bridges of understanding and interfaith coexistence.



Emphasizing the shared values of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, King Abdullah stressed that followers and scholars of the three monotheistic religions need to work in harmony to combat violence and extremism and challenge those who abuse religion to justify their wrongdoings.



"At one time or another, all religions have faced extremists who abuse the power of faith," comments King Abdullah. "We must show zero tolerance towards those who promote extremism."
Jordan has led efforts with the international Islamic community to reclaim moderate Islam from fringe extremist groups and to oppose extremist interpretations of the religious text.