Leonard Swidler, a Christian scholar at Temple University in Philadelphia, visited Saudi Arabia's ultra­conservative Al Imam Muhammed bin Saud Islamic University earlier this summer, underscoring a shift toward greater openness in some official religious institutions.

Full article from the Christian Science Monitor

Swidler, author of For All LIfe, is the first scholar of interreligious dialogue invited to exchange views with faculty at Al Imam Muhammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh – the citadel of Saudi Arabia's ultraconservative brand of Islam.

Swidler's visit was intended to discuss areas of future collaboration between his Dialogue Institute and the university's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Center for Islamic Contemporary Studies and Dialogue of Civilizations.

"We need to understand each other," said Abdulmohsin Al Sumih, the center's dean. "That's why we are very keen to see Professor Swidler with us here in our university."

Full article: Christian Science Monitor