Saudi-backed interfaith meeting starts

By Paul Haven - Associate Press
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - Web Link
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July 16, 2008

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was kicking off an interfaith conference in Madrid on Wednesday—an effort to bring Muslims, Christians and Jews closer together amid a world that often puts the three faiths at odds.

Spanish King Juan Carlos was also addressing the gathering—which the Saudis have billed as a strictly religious affair. There's to be no mention of hot-button issues like the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iranian nuclear ambitions or rising oil prices.

Abdullah has made reaching out to other faiths a hallmark of his rule since taking over the oil-rich kingdom following the death of his half brother in 2005. He met with Pope Benedict XVI late last year, the first meeting ever between a pope and a reigning Saudi king.

And in June, Abdullah held a religious conference in Mecca in which participants pledged improved relations between Islam's two main branches—Sunni and Shia. At that meeting Abdullah also rejected extremism, saying that Muslims must present Islam's "good message" to the world.

The three-day Madrid conference boasts a number of Jewish religious figures, including David Rosen, a prominent Irish-Israeli rabbi whose presence is being hailed as a sign the Saudis are serious about reaching out.

Rosen, however, is not listed as an Israeli in conference literature, prompting officials in the Jewish state to question the extent of the Saudis' commitment.