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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. (AP) Last update - 19:20 07/06/2008 Muslim clerics back Saudi king Abdullah's interfaith meeting By Reuters Tags: King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has won backing from Muslim clerics from around the world for an interfaith dialogue with Christians and Jews, state media reported on Saturday. Some 500 religious scholars and academics gathered for a 3-day conference in Mecca which ended on Friday as the first step of a plan announced by the Saudi king this year to create a dialogue with other faiths. The king's call, which followed a meeting with Pope Benedict at the Vatican last year, sparked much interest from Jewish and Christian groups around the world. Advertisement The Mecca meeting recommended "conferences, forums and discussion groups between the followers of the prophetic messages, and relevant civilisations, cultures and philosophies to which academics, media and religious leaders will be invited", according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). It said the participants, who included Egypt's Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar Mohamed Sayed Tantawi and former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, established that a dialogue with other faiths was legitimate in Islam. SPA gave no more details, but a gathering of Jewish and Christian clerics in Saudi Arabia would be ground-breaking. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, sees itself as the leader of Sunni Islam. It promotes a hardline school of Islam called Wahhabism which has traditionally seen some other Muslims and non-Muslims as "infidels". But Riyadh has been making efforts to build better ties with Washington and improve its international image after the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001, in which 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudi. Saudi Islamist militants also launched a violent campaign against to overthrow the monarchy in 2003, denouncing the rulers as un-Islamic. Although the official religious establishment is on board for the king's interfaith effort, many Wahhabi clerics remain opposed even to talking to Shi'ite Muslims. A group of independent clerics issued a statement last week saying Shi'ites, including Lebanese group Hezbollah, were posturing against Israel to hide an anti-Sunni agenda. Some Shi'ites said that, despite the presence of Iran's Rafsanjani, few of their number were invited to the Mecca meeting. None came from Europe or North America and one from Saudi Arabia's own Shi'ite minority which complains that it is given second class status. The final statement said the conference called for "communication between Islamic sects in an effort to unite the Islamic nation and lighten the effects of fanaticism". Related articles: Saudi King extends invite to Jews for interfaith meet Saudi company to invest $250 million in West Bank construction Bush offers Saudis nuclear power in exchange for more oil Bookmark to del.icio.us   Convicts 4 kneidlach Demand for kosher cuisine swells ranks of Jewish prison chaplains in U.S. All the way to hell Rosner's blog: It's Obama's good intentions that pro-Israel activists fear.   1.   Screw the Saudi King 21:06  |  Sadiq M 07/06/08   2.   a dialogue with other faiths was legitimate in Islam 21:07  |  Akiva P 07/06/08   3.   The wahabis seem to be an incorrigible lot! 21:12  |  lakshmi 07/06/08   4.   Could this be the beginning of a united humble acknowledgment? 22:10  |  and calling upon 07/06/08   5.   Typical response from hatemonger Lakshmi 23:56  |  Mark 07/06/08   6.   saudi king 00:38  |  azad 08/06/08   7.   Monarchy, is that... 04:21  |  Maureen Ann 08/06/08   8.   sacrificing truth for order and peace 06:34  |  sarahs child 09/06/08

Read & React Shmuel Rosner: Obama and Jerusalem - did you really believe him? Responses: 174 U.S. proposes trilateral talks with Israel and PA Responses: 77 Defense sources:Talk of major IDF operation in Gaza is premature Responses: 63 Palestinian shepherds: Masked settlers beat us with clubs Responses: 58 Rosner's Domain Obama and Jerusalem: did you really believe him? Should you mess with the Zohan? (WTR) Poll: Philip Roth, Victor Frankl or Leon Uris? What did Obama say to Joe Lieberman? (WTR) Guest: Marrying within the faith isn't racism - it's self preservation More Headlines 23:09 Palestinian shepherds: Masked settlers beat us with clubs 19:40 Migrant worker lightly hurt as Qassams pound Negev 23:53 Egypt says will review price of gas exported to Israel 02:49 Bereaved father to Barak: Leave West Bank roadblocks slated for removal intact 01:19 San Francisco Jewish museum stresses optimism, overlooks Holocaust 18:03 Defense official: Mofaz remark on Iran strike is not state policy 20:38 Amy Winehouse caught on video singing racist chant about 'gooks,' 'pakis' 00:04 Eight leftists hurt in clash with police at rally against separation fence 18:33 Demand for kosher cuisine swells ranks of Jewish prison chaplains in U.S. 19:51 Battered by rockets, Gaza-area kibbutz heads north for Shavuot 14:16 U.S. proposes trilateral talks with Israel, PA 17:04 Palestinian salaries delayed as Israel blocks payments 22:45 Fatah, Hamas: Senegal reconciliation talks reignite 'mutual respect' Previous Editions Select Day 08 jun 06 jun 05 jun 04 jun 03 jun 02 jun 01 jun 30 may 29 may 28 may 27 may 26 may

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