Bush stresses right to change religion at interfaith dialogue

US President George W. Bush Thursday insisted the ability to change one's religion is a fundamental human right at a UN interfaith conference sponsored by Saudi Arabia that has served to highlight the differences between the Muslim and Western worlds.

Bush praised his close ally, Saudi King Abdullah, but effectively challenged the strict Islamic kingdom's ban on apostasy, or change of religion.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Bush noted that the UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted 60 years ago, enshrines"the right to choose or change religions and the right to worship in private or public." "Freedom includes the right of all people to worship as they see fit," he told an audience made up of representatives from 80 countries.

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