May the world be covered with harmony, peace and love

Celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we stand humbled before God Almighty for His countless blessings bestowed on the Kingdom and its people. On this auspicious occasion, we pray to Allah for the continuing prosperity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Umma'h throughout the world. It was God's will that our country should play a prominent role in the history of the world as He chose this country to be the place for the Ka'aba and the place for angel Gabriel to bring revelation to Mohammad (PBUH).

It is from this place that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) reported the message of Allah faithfully until Islam spread worldwide and a new era in the Arab Peninsula and in the life of all mankind began.

The life of Arabs in pre-Islamic times had its basis on social, intellectual and religious transgression. Islam however replaced their fear with a sense of security and their ignorance with education. With the power of belief, Islam united their hearts.

The first political and social organization was established at the time of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). This organization grew and developed until, at its peak, the state of Islam became a mammoth institution that extended over large areas from the east to the west.

This state suffered a setback after the Muslims were subjected to an intellectual invasion that distorted Islamic teachings and regulations. This necessitated a reform movement to take Islam back to its glorious days. The great reformer Shaikh Mohammad bin Abdul Wahab joined hands with Prince Mohammad bin Saud to start a reform call, based on the Sunna'h of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

The glorious reign of King Abdul Aziz was followed by his sons King Saud (1953-1964), King Faisal (1964-75), and King Khalid (1975-82). Upon the death of King Khalid, Crown Prince Fahd bin Abdul Aziz ascended the throne in 1982. Through a Royal Decree, King Fahd assumed the title of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on November 27, 1986.

The King outlined his priorities in the following words: "The objectives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are to strengthen the bases of Islam, apply it in all its affairs, use all resources which have been given by Allah to us, and exert all efforts to achieve comprehensive development and raise the standards of living to enable the citizens all over the Kingdom to live in welfare and security. Allah the Almighty, has enabled this country to achieve many things and we shall accomplish more achievements by the support of Allah, and by the cooperation of all citizens who shall, in their different locations and positions, do their best to achieve such objective".

The 20 years reign of King Fahd has seen wide-spread and extensive development activities initiated in all sectors of the Kingdom's life. This has resulted in an accelerated march of development throughout the Kingdom. The seventh Development Plan (2000-04) reflects the long-term aims of the march of development.

As a consequence of many far-reaching initiatives taken by the Kingdom, the Saudi economy is considered to be one of the largest among the developing countries. This has been so because of following an open-door economic policy with no restriction imposed on the flow of capital or the exchange rates. The critical factors responsible for the current boom in the Saudi economy include the policy of diversifying the sources of income, expanding the production base and encouraging the private sector.

The sectors have been given priority attention for development by the Saudi government include the following: Education；Elimination of illiteracy and introduction of adult education； Science and technology；Electricity and industry；Transportation and communication；Health care；Social care.

The Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Taiwan are linked through close and brotherly ties spread over many decades. This friendship is characterized by frequent consultation in many fields such as in trade, economic, education, religion, and etc that has a bearing on the two countries, or on the Muslims in any part of the world.

I pray to Allah for the continued progress and prosperity for the government and the people of Taiwan. I also pray to Allah for the progress and prosperity of the entire Muslim Umma'h throughout the world. We pray almighty that he would embrace this superb world to be a beautiful planet and covered with harmony.