Prince Charles Speaks At Conservative Saudi University

As part of his tour of the Middle East, yesterday Britain's Prince Charles spoke to a small VIP audience at Imam Muhammad Saud Islamic University. The Associated Press reported on the visit. The University, which produces many of Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi clerics and Islamic judges, is seen by many as the center of Saudi conservatism. While Charles did not specifically mention the lack of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, he did say: "Islam called Jews and Christians the peoples of the book because they, like Muslims, are a part of a religion of sacred texts." Because the sexes are segregated in Saudi Arabia, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, had a different schedule from her husband. She visited the Nahda Philanthropic Society for Women, the first women's charity to be set up in Saudi Arabia.