Saudi king seeks religious dialogue

Ashley Flaherty/March 28,2008 1:16pm/Religious Conflict

King Abdullah has made an impassioned plea for dialogue among Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The first being from ultraconservative Saudi Arabia which has no ties to Isreal and bans public non-Muslim religious services. This talk comes at a time of tension among these three religions. Muslims have been angered by cartoons published in European papers seen insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Abdullah's call is significant and could add weight to sporadic efforts at dialogue among religious leaders. A Saudi official with knowledge of the proposal said it was not intended to have a political angle. Saying that the intiative was not aimed at the middle east but at the whole world. Abdullah's contacts with Benedict are also significant. In his speech, he said he discussed the dialogue proposal with the pontiff at their Vatican meeting. Abdullah's framing of the dialogue in ethical terms may aim to reassure hard-line Muslim clerics that it would not invovle any concessions. but some are already wary. Marwan Abu Ras, a lawmaker with the Palestenian Hamas militant group and chairman of the Palestinian Religious scholars said the call for dialogue is advocated by Islam.