Prominent New York Rabbi Marc Schneier has returned from the Bahrain claiming a major advance in Jewish dialogue with Islam: a promise by the Gulf states ruler to convene a first ever meeting of religious leaders from both faiths in the kingdom.

Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, returned from his trip on December 29, full of praise for King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas religious tolerance and acceptance.

Open gallery view Rabbi Marc Schneier.

Bahrain is a role model in the Arab world for coexistence and tolerance of different faith communities, including a small Jewish community, he said in a statement on his return. I am excited that he and his government are fully committed to building bridges between our two communities.

Schneiers mission was, to a great extent, unprecedented. While Jewish–Muslim dialogue forums are common in the U.S. and Europe, he succeeded in recruiting King Hamed to host such a meeting in a Muslim country. At the end of the 45-minute meeting, which took place in the royal palace in Manama, an agreement was reached to hold a meeting in 2012 in which 10 Jewish and 10 Muslim leaders will convene to discuss relations between the two faiths in Bahrain under the auspices of King Hamed.

Read more at the Forward.

