Chief rabbi hails king's initiative
matthew wagner and ap , THE JERUSALEM POST
Mar. 25, 2008
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 puni****ng Europe or Israel, he speaks in
the name of religion.
That's why it is so im****tant to hear moderate elements of Islam voice
their opinions.
Hopefully, they will have a positive influence on the Muslim m*****.
"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 im****tance 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
****'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 *** 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?c=JPArticle&cid=1206446100571&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com
**
|
