Family a Starting Point for Christian-Muslim-Jewish Dialogue

As reported by Catholic News Service, Saudi Arabian King Abdullah Aziz believes there can be fruitful inter-religious dialogue between Christians, Muslims, and Jews. It is not often that one hears a Middle East leader speak of inter-religious dialogue between Muslims and Jews.

King Abdullah believes that the logical starting point for such a dialogue would be around such issues as family, morality, and the importance of religion.

The idea of such a dialogue is both welcome and haunting. It is welcome because it is truly wonderful to hear the word dialogue seriously used by a Middle East leader. It is haunting because the family values shared by the type of Jews, Christians, and Muslims that would come to that discussion table is not the idea of family that I believe to be fruitful or realistic. I think such an idea of family is not helpful and will only create a religious dialogue on a house of cards that cannot stand.

On the other hand, even if the house of cards would fall, the friendships that would be formed during the dialogue could contribute to a lasting peace in the Middle East and lay a fertile ground for an example of peace-making for the rest of the world. This is beside the fact that the Saudi Arabia government is renowned for some of the worst human rights abuses in the world. But then again, this could be an impetus for change. Godspeed.

A Faithful Catholic