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Chief
rabbi hails Saudi king's initiative Matthew Wagner and ap , THE JERUSALEM POST Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger welcomed on Tuesday an
initiative from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for dialogue among monotheistic
religions, including Judaism. "I give my blessing to every initiative that can
prevent bloodshed and terror, especially in our area of the world,"
Metzger said, in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post. He added that militarism and terror in the 21st century
were primarily religiously motivated. Therefore, interfaith dialogue was the
best antidote, he said. "When Osama bin Laden talks of punishing Europe or
Israel, he speaks in the name of religion. That's why it is so important to hear
moderate elements of Islam voice their opinions. Hopefully, they will have a
positive influence on the Muslim masses. "If an imam in Saudi Arabia sends out a message of
restraint and peace, that could save the life of a Jew in Paris," Metzger
said. Interfaith dialogue was also a way of uprooting stigmas and
stereotypes, he said. In a speech late on Monday, Abdullah said Saudi Arabia's
top clerics had given him the green light to pursue interfaith dialogue with
Christians and Jews. "The idea is to ask representatives of all
monotheistic religions to sit together with their brothers in faith and
sincerity to all religions, as we all believe in the same God," the king
told delegates to a seminar on "Culture and the Respect of
Religions." The clerics' backing is crucial in a society that expects
decisions taken by its rulers to adhere to Islam's tenets. The monarch also
said he discussed the idea with Pope Benedict XVI when they met at the Vatican
last year. The king's remarks were carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. "I have noticed that the family system has weakened
and that atheism has increased. That is an unacceptable behavior to all
religions, to the Koran, the Torah and the Bible," he said. "We ask
God to save humanity." The Saudi monarch is the custodian of Islam's two holiest
shrines - in Mecca and Medina - a position that lends his words special
importance and influence among many Muslims. Saudi Arabia, which follows a
severe interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism, bans non-Muslim religious
services and symbols of other religions, such as crosses and Bibles. Rabbi David Rosen, American Jewish Committee's
international director for interreligious affairs, said this would be the first
time the Saudis had showed a willingness to engage in interfaith dialogue with
Jews. "I just hope that the move will include Jewish leaders
from Israel," said Rosen, who is based in Jerusalem, citing rumors from
Egypt that the Saudi initiative would not include Israelis "who butcher
Palestinians." "Nevertheless, I believe any contact with responsible
representatives of the Jewish people is a positive step. "I am not naïve enough to think that if I have contact
with the Saudis, I will turn them into Zionists. But I am a believer in the
human encounter. I believe the way to combat prejudice and bigotry is through
familiarity with the other's culture, religion and history. It is what I call
the psycho-spiritual glue that is essential to the success of any peace
process," Rosen said. Since ascending to the throne in August 2005, Abdullah has
taken steps to encourage dialogue among Saudi's Sunni majority and Muslim
minorities, including the Shi'ites. His meeting with Benedict was the first
between a Saudi monarch and a pope. Abdullah said he planned to hold conferences to get the
opinion of Muslims from other parts of the world as well as meetings "with
our brothers in all religions which I mentioned, the Torah and Bible, so we can
agree on something that guarantees the preservation of humanity against those who
tamper with ethics, family systems and honesty." He said that if such an agreement were reached, he planned
to take his proposal to the United Nations. Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi Ya'acov Ariel said that he was open
to dialogue with Muslims. "We have many issues in common," said Ariel, a
leading national religious spiritual leader and halachic authority who is
relatively hawkish politically. "The loss of family values in the Western world is a
major concern for both Jews and Muslims," he said. "The licentiousness
of secular society is undermining the family institution. One billion Muslims
can identify with that." Ariel also mentioned egregious sex and violence on TV and
Internet as a shared concern of Islam and Judaism. His main reservation concerning the Saudi initiative was
that the stage might be hijacked by individuals with a political agenda. "If the Saudi king asked for my advice, I would tell
him to stay away from politics," he said. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1206446100571&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |
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