Saudi King, Abdullah Abdul Aziz al Saud, spoke this week at the UN. His remarks about the dignity of religious difference sparked global controversy. Is this part of a new world in which the custodian of Islam’s holy places advocates for religious liberty and the individual’s right to choose their faith, including no faith at all?
Or is it the cynical ploy of a powerful leader pushing a Trojan horse into the General Assembly, one which sacrifices genuine spiritual freedom in the name of respect for a few specific faiths? Probably a bit of both. But the upside potential far outweighs the downside risk, so we should greet this effort with joy, if cautiously so.
Many, including Donald Argue and Leonard Leo in the Christian Science Monitor, claim that all of King Abdullah’s work bringing global faith leaders together is nothing more than a ploy to rally support for a global blasphemy law. The idea being that the faithful of many traditions can be enlisted to work for passage of a global law that would limit religious freedom and spiritual expression to parameters agreed upon by a select group of religious authorities. The passage of such a statute would be a disastrous mistake.
A global blasphemy law (the legal import of which is dubious, even if it were to be passed) would fly in the face of the personal liberty which most Americans, at least, treasure. But the idea of such a law may be, in fact, a part of the king’s agenda. Based on my personal experience with most religious leaders, including many here at home, it probably makes a great deal of sense to them. Most religious people in the world imagine that seeking good belief is more important than assuring the freedom to believe, even bad things. But that fact should not keep us from welcoming the king’s actions. Here’s why.

Even if a global blasphemy law is on the king’s agenda, as it is for the Organization of the Islamic Conference, this week’s visit is still to be welcomed. Initiating any conversation which fills a space currently filled with silence and suspicion, is a good thing. Having been a party to these conversations which began this summer in Madrid, and having written about them here, I can attest to the unexpected opening of hearts and minds that occurs when we talk face to face, even when we reach no shared conclusions. For that alone, the king deserves support and praise.
And to those who point out the apparent hypocrisy of a global leader preaching inter-religious cooperation among the peoples of the world without assuring basic religious freedom in his own kingdom, I remind you that we must often go abroad to develop those ideas which we ultimately implement at home. There is a difference between hypocrisy and inconsistency. While king Abdullah is certainly guilty of the latter, there is no reason to charge him with the former.
Like many global leaders attempting a major shift in the direction of the nation he leads, King Abdullah must build global support for his agenda as a means to making plausible its implementation in his own country. In fact, how often was that very argument made by supporters of President-Elect Barak Obama as the then candidate traversed the globe building support for his as yet unattained presidency?
An even closer parallel can be drawn to the ways in which the American Jewish community has been a source of support to those in Israel who work for greater religious freedom there. In fact, many Israeli leaders have built support for a more welcoming stance to a variety of Jewish expressions in the State of Israel, precisely by playing to their American supporters and then bringing that backing home to a more reticent Israeli population. And that method has born many good results.
No, the religious liberty issues in Israel are nothing as serious as they are in Saudi Arabia. But they are not insignificant either. And the introduction of global support for initiatives designed to bring greater openness to the holy land’s spiritual marketplace, has been crucial to the success of such efforts. That is why I know that with all of the potential hazards, traveling this road with King Abdullah is both important and likely to bring at least some success. I look forward to the next steps in that journey and to being privileged to take them with him.