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Riyadh: An interfaith conference in Spain this week will give Saudi Arabia a chance to declare its "openness" and willingness to cooperate with the international community, a Saudi organiser said on Tuesday.
King Abdullah will open the three-day meeting on Wednesday after winning the backing of Sunni and Shiite clerics to go ahead with the ground-breaking idea in Makkah last month.
The interfaith idea has sparked interest from Jewish and Christian groups around the world, coming after the Saudi king held talks with Pope Benedict at the Vatican last year.
"Saudi Arabia, on whose ground the global message of Islam was launched, affirms to the whole world its openness and cooperation with the world community," said Abdullah Al Turki, head of the World Islamic League, which is organising the event.
The Madrid meeting is expected to include not only Shiites, Christians and Jews but figures from outside the major monotheistic religions such as Buddhists, who are looked upon by most Saudi clerics as heathens.
The official Saudi Press Agency reported Turki as saying the conference would avoid theological questions and focus instead on "human issues" and challenges faced throughout the world.
"Islam requires Muslims to inform people about Islam as the final divine message that came after the previous prophets and they must also challenge the link between Islam and violence and extremism," SPA cited him as saying.
He said the conference would look at conflicts between peoples, environmental issues, the breakdown of the traditional family and militant violence around the world.
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