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Last update - 07:50 19/07/2008
Spat between Jews and Muslims sours Saudi interfaith summit
By Reuters
Tags: interfaith, Zionism 

MADRID - A groundbreaking interfaith conference this week ended on a sour note, with a political spat between Muslims and Jews that Saudi organizers wanted to avoid.

Hopes of a follow-up meeting appeared to be dashed.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah had gathered followers of the world's major faiths for the Madrid conference to seek religious reconciliation and showcase a more liberal image of his kingdom's austere version of Sunni Islam.
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It was the first time Saudi Arabia, where non-Muslims cannot practice their faith openly, had invited Jews to such a meeting and the aim was to skirt hot issues like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in order to focus on problems facing humanity.

But televised exchanges between Jewish Rabbis and Muslim participants went too far, according to one Middle Eastern diplomat.

"This was too much, it crossed the line," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.

Organizers played down a discussion on Zionism between Ezzeddin Ibrahim, an adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, and Rabbi Marc Schneier, North American chairman of the World Jewish Congress, which drew media attention.

"UAE Official Attacks Zionism at Saudi Conference," read a headline in the New York Sun newspaper.

"People said I attacked Zionism, I did not," Ibrahim told reporters, adding that no interfaith conference would be complete without Jews.

Schneier also gave a strong defense of Israel in a debate on Thursday, after a Muslim participant referred to Zionists.

"The fact there are some discrepancies, some differences between participants, that's normal," said Abdullah Al Turki, Secretary General of the Muslim World League organizers.

But the conference's final statement disappointed many.

"The Madrid declaration does not contemplate holding another conference," said Al Turki. "Whether this conference emphasizes the organization of other conferences, other symposiums in the other parts of the world, remains to be seen."

Rabbi David Rosen of the American Jewish Committee had said earlier the event would be little more than a photo opportunity unless it led to a follow-up in Saudi Arabia with Israeli Jews.

But participants said getting people from so many faiths under one roof had been an achievement in itself, even if there were no Israeli Jews or Palestinian Muslims and Christians.

"There is a desire for this to continue," said Anthony Ball, an aide to the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

Images on Saudi television of Abdullah meeting Buddhists and Hindus were also unsettling to most Saudi clerics, given their Wahhabi Islam considers believers in such faiths heathens. Buddhists saw no problem.

"From a Buddhist point of view, if the motivation is good, then the result will be good, it is cause and effect" said Hongchih Shih, a Buddhist nun from Taiwan.

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  • For first time, Israeli rabbi to attend Saudi-sponsored interfaith meet
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      1.   Wrong topics 21:32  |  David 18/07/08
      2.   The Saudis take a lot of trouble to tell us what we already knew 21:42  |  Natallie Durson 18/07/08
      3.   The will never be peace until one or both sides are liquidated 22:00  |  Ghandi 18/07/08
      4.   Illusions are a common thing 22:03  |  Shimon Cleopas 18/07/08
      5.   Playing by the Arabs` rules 22:07  |  Jake 18/07/08
      6.   Resolving Theological Conflicts 22:09  |  Michael Cecil 18/07/08
      7.   No point in talkinto Zionists 22:24  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 18/07/08
      8.   not quite natallie 22:30  |  pepsi 18/07/08
      9.   I witness... 22:35  |  ABC 18/07/08
      10.   duh!!!!! Interfaith goal is to separate Jews from Zionism 22:37  |  Jonas Menchik 18/07/08
      11.   Natallie Durson 22:49  |  BRL 18/07/08
      12.   Natalie 22:55  |  jeff 18/07/08
      13.   religions are irreconcilable 22:56  |  KMS 18/07/08
      14.   #2, Natalie...All Jews are Israeli. Jerusalem is our capital 23:05  |  David 18/07/08
      15.   There Will Be Follow-Ups 23:19  |  Yosemite 18/07/08
      16.   Newsflash to Buddhists: motivation was NOT good 23:31  |  McQueen 18/07/08
      17.   interesting association: zionism and conflicts. 23:37  |  Historian 18/07/08
      18.   FOCUS ON COMMON POINTS 23:49  |  Barry S. Roffman 18/07/08
      19.   Again Natalie exposes her antisemitism 23:54  |  Arie 18/07/08
      20.   EMBRACE YOUR OLDER BROTHER 23:54  |  Barry S. Roffman 18/07/08
      21.   KMS, #13, who shall ye blame next? 00:12  |  Jonas Menchik 19/07/08
      22.   #17 historian 00:22  |  Moshe 19/07/08
      23.   #7 Abu Firas Al Qudsi 00:27  |  Moshe 19/07/08
      24.   AND THEY CALL ISLAM PEACEFUL-HA HA 00:28  |  Dale 19/07/08
      25.   Natallie Durson, Abu Firas Al Qudsi and... 00:39  |  Glenn 19/07/08
      26.   Consider the source 01:12  |  Mark Lincoln 19/07/08
      27.   Durson - "we already knew" 01:22  |  Fish 19/07/08
      28.   why didn`t Saudis arrange this conference in their country?? 01:36  |  Massoud Levy 19/07/08
      29.   No point in talkinto Zionists 02:05  |  Skeptic 19/07/08
      30.   king abdullahs days are numbered,the saudi clerics along with 02:07  |  terrornator 19/07/08
      31.   Don`t Blame Natalie Durson 02:23  |  GZLives 19/07/08
      32.   Durson`s Problem with Israeli Jews 02:24  |  Fish 19/07/08
      33.   #7 Abu, you are wrong 02:31  |  judith 19/07/08
      34.   Need not apply. 02:33  |  Baz Mann 19/07/08
      35.   Interfaith "Diplomacy" what a laugh. 02:44  |  Stephen. 19/07/08
      36.   #30 Terrornator a typical zionist response 02:51  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/07/08
      37.   # 3 `Ghandi` 02:56  |  Sidartha 19/07/08
      38.   Spat 03:01  |  What 19/07/08
      39.   Give women the vote and let them drive. 03:20  |  sandra chitayat 19/07/08
      40.   arab muslims full of hate towards israel 03:46  |  paulo2005 19/07/08
      41.   Re: Pepsi 04:19  |  Coca 19/07/08
      42.   "Historian", Most conflicts of globe associated with Islam 04:29  |  I 19/07/08
      43.   Saudi Hypocrites 04:57  |  Nizo the Palestinian 19/07/08
      44.   Jews in Saudi............ 05:20  |  yuval 19/07/08
      45.   david in boston 06:35  |  potobac 19/07/08
      46.   arie 06:43  |  potobac 19/07/08
      47.   common ground 06:51  |  Gregor 19/07/08
      48.   Sometimes Crticizing Israel IS Anti Semitism 07:01  |  GZLives 19/07/08
      49.   Yuval #44 07:03  |  Gregor 19/07/08
      50.   a room full of different thinking people 07:16  |  sarahs child 19/07/08
      51.   yuval 44 07:45  |  Ninpo 19/07/08
      52.   Indrajaya What`s The Latest? 08:41  |  Yosemite 19/07/08
      53.   at least they are in the same room 09:00  |  randy 19/07/08
      54.   Sarah`s child #50 09:12  |  Gregor 19/07/08
      55.   I had a dream! 09:30  |  Dav 19/07/08
      56.   Unequal peace treaty.... 09:36  |  Palestinian Brit 19/07/08
      57.   Note to the Buddist Nun (never knew they had any) 09:49  |  Kris Lazar 19/07/08
      58.   Ah Come On Israel 09:51  |  Yosemite 19/07/08
      59.   REALITY CHECK 10:04  |  Raymond 19/07/08
      60.   The real issue is..... 10:12  |  Cynic #2 19/07/08
      61.   Jews means trouble 10:32  |  Imad 19/07/08
      62.   Arie shows his irritation with Britain # 19 10:49  |  Clickfool 19/07/08
      63.   #2 Jews and Israeli Jews the same 11:24  |  EgyptJewRefugee 19/07/08
      64.   #7- 99% of Jews are Zionists 11:26  |  Massouda 19/07/08
      65.   ABC 11:28  |  Serge 19/07/08
      66.   To Natellie Durson 12:14  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 19/07/08
      67.   Interfaith dialogue, a big step 13:17  |  Shimon Cleopas 19/07/08
      68.   hey, Ghandi, religion is also one of the most inspiring influence 14:25  |  Absolute Israel 19/07/08
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      70.   Shimon Cleopas of Arlington Virginia @#4 14:33  |  Absolute Israel 19/07/08
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