In Madrid, will interfaith dialogue flourish?

There has been notably mixed reaction to Saudi King Abdullah’s interfaith conference held in Madrid this week.  While Abdullah has insisted that the gathering earnestly seeks to turn a “new page for humanity,” skeptics have repeatedly questioned his intent.

The more pessimistic of bloggers argue that, worse than a mere PR stunt, the conference aims to forbid any criticism of Islam – a recommendation Abdullah supposedly intends to turn over to the UN.  Others posit that Abdullah’s call for interreligious understanding falls somewhere between rhetoric and substance.  Perhaps now is the time for Saudi Arabia’s new “peace offensive;” perhaps instead Abdullah is shoring up relations with the West and intends to change little about religious tolerance at home.

Tariq al-Homayed of Asharq Alawsat insists that dialogue — any dialogue — is “better.”  Indeed, even if the formal meetings fall flat of their lofty goal, a commenter on the blog Crossroads Arabia reminds us that “the important stuff doesn’t take place in the sessions, but outside in the corridors, when people meet each other.”

This last point stands to reason.  Even if the public face of the conference does not drastically change the shape of international religious tolerance, the fact that dialogue has been started is a boon.  Nevertheless, it is unlikely the Madrid conference will end in anything more than a question mark. 

I pose the question to you: what good, or lack thereof, will come of King Abdullah’s attempts to foster interfaith dialogue?