His Majesty King Abdullah II together with several hundred people on Tuesday attended an Amman mosque service to observe " Lailat al-Qader".



Lailat al-Qader is the holiest night of the fasting month of the Ramadan that marks the day when the Holy Book, the Quran was revealed by God to Prophet Mohammad peace be upon him nearly 1,400 years ago.



King Abdullah and the prayers at the mosque listened to a speech delivered by the King's advisor for Religious affairs and Chief Justice Sheikh Izz-Eddine Al Khateeb Al Tamimi in which he urged Muslims worldwide to reject religious extremism saying some who claim to be followers of Islam are committing " criminal acts" in its name.



In his speech dubbed "Amman Message" , Tamimi said Jordan would host an Islamic conference in 2005 on the need to practice tolerance more widely and to adopt the content of the message. Urging Muslims to adhere to Islam's message of tolerance, Tamimi said "Some who attack Islam imagine it as their enemy, but it is not their enemy."



"Others, who claim to belong to Islam, have done gruesome and criminal acts in its name," said Tamimi, who is also Chairman of the Ifta Council.



"We are aware of the dangers and challenges the Islamic nation is facing at this difficult juncture," Sheikh Tamimi added. "Amman Message" affirmed that Jordan has been keen on highlighting the true and bright image of Islam and on fending off any attack on Islam.



Islam is a faith of ethics that seeks goodness for all people and therefore defending Islam can only be through ethical means, Tamimi noted. "According to the Islamic religion an end does not justify the means," he said.