King Abdullah's call for dialogue labeled an 'exercise in futility'

Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries says she can't understand why some prominent Jewish leaders are welcoming a call from Saudi Arabia's monarch for a dialogue between Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

In a speech, Saudi King Abdullah said his country's top clerics gave him the green light to pursue his idea, because their backing is crucial in a country that adheres to the severe interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism. Abdullah said he also discussed the idea with Pope Benedict XVI when they met at the Vatican last year. In addition, several Jewish leaders, including Israel's chief rabbi, are welcoming Abdullah's call.
 
Jan Markell, who heads up the Messianic Jewish ministry Olive Tree Ministries, predicts that any dialogue will be fruitless.
 
"All these religions [are] never going to get along," says Markell. "[Y]ou can have the pope meet with Abdullah and whoever, and all the pope has to do is say something wrong and the whole Islamic world goes insane. So I just say this is a big exercise in futility."
 
The ministry leader urges strong caution in reacting to Abdullah's statement that he wants to come up with some kind of agreement to take to the United Nations "that guarantees the preservation of humanity against those who tamper with ethics, family systems, and honesty."
 
"This has shades of the 'One World' issues that I'm talking about," Markell responds. "When you bring the U.N. into something like this, that ... is a great big red flag to me that we need to run from this as fast as possible."
 
Abdullah extended his invitation for dialogue at a seminar in Riyadh, stating that the three monotheistic religions "all believe in the same god." It is the first such proposal, says Associated Press, from the ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, which has no ties to Israel and bans public non-Muslim religious services.

"all believe in the same god."

same god my ass...