Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah plans to convene an interfaith conference that will include Muslims, Christians and Jews. This would be the first time that Jews have been invited to participate in religious dialogue in Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia plans to schedule inter-religious discussions, bringing Muslims together with Christians and Jews, in an effort to counteract the growth of secularism. King Abdullah said that he had discussed the possibility of talks among leaders of the three monotheistic faiths during a meeting last November with Pope Benedict XVI. He said that he suggested the meetings, and the Pontiff reacted positively.
The purpose of the inter-religious talks would be to ‘come up with ways to safeguard humanity,’ King Abdullah said. He reasoned that religious leaders of every faith should unite to support family life and to fight against atheism.
The Saudi king said that family structure is breaking down and secularism is on the rise. ‘That is unacceptable to all religions – to the Qu’ran, the Bible, and the New Testament,’ he said.