As the Lambeth Conference continues in Canterbury, England, the King of Saudi Arabia sponsored an interfaith conference in Madrid, Spain. In a report from the Washington Post:
Saudi Arabia won praise Friday for taking a leading role in an interfaith conference in Madrid, with participants saying it was another sign the conservative Muslim kingdom is opening up.
Rabbi David Rosen, the only Israeli who attended the three-day meeting led by Saudi King Abdullah, said he believes the oil-rich Persian Gulf kingdom also wants to reaffirm leadership in the Muslim world for fear of greater instability.
“I have heard from the Saudis that this is a culmination of a process that began the moment Abdullah ascended to the throne and that he actually wants to open up Saudi society,” said Rosen, who heads interreligious relations for the American Jewish Committee.
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The Lead reported on Jewish reaction to the possibility of this conference here.