RIYADH, March 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – British Crown Prince Charles called on Saturday, March 25, for a flexible interpretation of sacred texts and mutual respect between religions.

"We need to recover the depth, the subtlety, the generosity of imagination, the respect for wisdom that so marked Islam in its great ages," Charles said in a speech at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"Islam called Jews and Christians the peoples of the book, because they, like Muslims, are a part of a religion of sacred texts," he added.

The heir to the British crown, currently on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, spoke about the importance of interpreting religious texts.

"What was so distinctive of the great ages of faith surely was that they understood that, as well as sacred texts, there is the art of interpretation of sacred texts -- between the meaning of God's word for all time and its meaning for this time," Charles said.

"It was Islam's greatness to understand this in its full depth and challenge. And this is what you ... at this great and historic institution, can give not only to Islam, but, by example, to all the other children of Abraham."

Prince Chalres, has close ties with Saudi Arabia's ruling family, met with the officials of the university and dropped in on a class of Islamic jurisprudence.

His audience included government ministers, scholars and teachers including Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh and Justice Minister Abdullah Al-Asheikh.

Charles, , who briefly walked into the university's mosque, was not accompanied by his wife, Camilla, in line with local traditions barring women from publicly mixing with men other than relatives.

In a ceremony conducted at the grounds of the National Museum, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary -general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, presented an award to Prince Charles for his interest and active promotion of the preservation of architectural heritage, reported the Saudi English daily Arab News.

Accepting the award, Prince Charles said that he had been a minority voice when he began publicly raising concerns about the disappearance of architectural heritage.

He pointed out that what was then eccentric is now mainstream as people came to realize the value of preserving their history.

During his visit to Egypt on Tuesday, March 21, Prince Charles was awarded an honorary doctorate by Al-Azhar University, the highest seat of religious learning in the Sunni world.