all major religions — Judaism,
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism
and Buddhism — and there is a
100-member advisory board. Saudi
Arabia, Austria and Spain are the
"founding states:' and the Holy See is
the "founding observer to the center."
The multifaith board determined
that because the center was primarily
backed by King Abdullah, the center
be named after him.
Rosenberg agreed with the irony
that the KAICIID could not be head-
quartered in the Saudi Kingdom
because it is against the law there to
practice any religion except Islam,
"but one of the ways to bring change
to Saudi Arabia is for Saudi leaders
to meet with people of other religions
and see the benefits of working and
living with people of diverse religious
backgrounds:' she said. "In that way,
the center can help bring reform to
Saudi Arabia. We will have to wait and
see"
Rosenberg said in Vienna she was
able to find new partners in interfaith
dialogue, among them Safi Kaskas,
president of Strategic Edge, a manage-
ment consulting firm based in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
"Safi is bringing a group of Saudis to
Auschwitz in May:' she said. "I hope-
fully will be joining them"
Al Jazirah, a Saudi newspaper ran a
story hat featured Rosenberg and oth-
ers discussing interfaith relations and
the impetus for the center's opening
appeared on its Arabic website. Mona
Farrokh, an official Arabic translator
in Michigan and friend translated it
for Rosenberg. She and others also
were interviewed by news outlets Al
Jazeera and Al Arabiya.
Dr. Abdullah bin Fand Luhaidan,
adviser to the Saudi minister of
Islamic affairs and professor of politi-
cal science at King Saud University,
spoke at the meeting in Vienna of
the "wise initiatives" that Saudi King
Abdullah established, starting with
the peace initiative of 2002 and asking
for the withdrawal of Israel from the
occupied territories and the establish-
ment of the state of Palestine with
Jerusalem as its capital.
It troubled Rosenberg that the king
criticized Israel right after 9-11, yet
waited four years to make a statement
at an Islamic summit in 2006 "con-
demning on behalf of the Muslims
terrorism in all its forms, and calling
for dialogue:'
"That is why these meetings are so
important:' she said. "It is critical to
know how different our perceptions
are, and how different what is most
important to each of us. What is most
important is that this conference will
open doors that have been closed:'
The
Craig Fahle
Show
Brenda Rosenberg and Amal Al Moalimi,
head of external dialogue, King Abdulaziz
Center for National Dialogue, Vienna
cadet
101.9 fm
Malek al-Shaar, mufti of northern
Lebanon, said at the center opening,
"The value of this center is its mission
to bring people closer to overcome
obstacles and enhance dialogue and
communication to all who believe in
one God, the One. It also declares that
all the heavenly messages came to
complement each other. Says Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, 'All
creatures are children of God: He did
not say only Muslims, but said all of
creation — Jews and Christians"
Rosenberg said, "This center can
attract young leaders from all countries
and communities to meet here and
exchange ideas. Our young leaders have
many ideas on how to overcome the
challenges we face, but they do not have
the financial and moral support, or the
tools to put these ideas into practice
and make the contributions that we
urgently need in today's world"
Rosenberg received some criticism
and praise for her work.
"Brenda's efforts to build bridges
are admirable, as there are always
good people everywhere," said Kobi
Erez, executive director, Zionist
Organization of America-Michigan
Region.
"However, it's vital to understand
the broader root of intolerance. Peace
with radical Islamic terrorists at war
with Israel and the U.S. will not occur
if we ignore the ideology and hatred
that animates them. This does not
mean all Muslims are enemies, but it
does mean we have to confront the
inspiration for terrorists' hostility, and
that of their enablers here and over-
seas, which stems from the ideology of
Islamic extremism:'
Alterman of the American Jewish
Committee, said, "Brenda is an incred-
ible asset to AJC, and we value her as a
regional board officer. She has helped
us to strengthen interreligious rela-
tionships and open conversations.
"Brenda moves the important work
of Muslim-Jewish relations forward
step by step. Her dedication is tireless
and inspirational:'
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