In Saudi Arabia, a Landmark Welcome Of a Christian Scholar

August 3, 2010

Author: Caryle Murphy

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0803/In-Saudi-Arabia-a-landmark-welcome-of-a-Christian-scholar

In a country that endorses Islam as the official religion, bans conversion to other religions, and forbids Christian proselytizing, Saudi Arabia's recent welcome of an American Christian scholar is a landmark.

Leonard Swidler, a professor of Roman Catholic thought and interreligious dialogue at Philadelphia's Temple University, is the first such scholar invited to exchange views with faculty at Al Imam Muhammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh – the citadel of Saudi Arabia's ultraconservative brand of Islam.