King Abdullah has called for a dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews, the first such proposal from Saudi Arabia at a time of mounting tensions between Islam and the two religions.

In a speech late on Tuesday, Abdullah said Saudi Arabia’s top clerics have given him the green light to pursue his idea. Their backing is crucial in a society which expects decisions taken by its rulers to adhere to Islam’s tenets. The monarch also said he discussed the idea with Pope Benedict XVI when they met at the Vatican last year.

“The idea is to ask representatives of all monotheistic religions to sit together with their brothers in faith and sincerity to all religions as we all believe in the same God,” the king told delegates to a seminar on “Culture and the Respect of Religions”.

His remarks were carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

“I have noticed that the family system has weakened and that atheism has increased. That is an unacceptable behaviour to all religions, to the Quran, the Torah and the Bible,” he added. “We ask God to save humanity. There is a lack of ethics, loyalty, and sincerity for our religions and humanity.”

Abdullah’s call is significant. The Saudi monarch is the custodian of Islam’s two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina, a position that lends his words special importance and influence among many Muslims. Saudi Arabia, which follows a severe interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism, bans non-Muslim religious services and symbols of other religions such as crosses and Bibles.

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