wfn.org | [CWS] Hosts 4-Country Muslim-Christian U.S. City Tour

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

MEDIA ADVISORY

DELEGATION OF MID EAST RELIGIOUS, ACADEMIC LEADERS AIM TO SHOW AMERICANS
A DIFFERENT VIEW OF MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN RELATIONS IN REGION: A POSITIVE ONE

Church World Service Middle East Forum Hosts 4-Country Muslim-Christian
Delegates to Major U.S. City Tour

Dispelling Polarizing Distortions: 'Christians, Muslims in Many Middle East
Countries Have Been Co-Existing, Sharing Common Heritages for a Thousand
Years'

NEW YORK ­ Fri April 8 ­ A delegation of Christian and Muslim academic,
religious and policy leaders from four countries will visit cities across
the U.S. this month (Thurs April 14 ­ Sat April 30), hoping to counter
prevailing American stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs as invariably pitted
against Christians in a "clash of civilizations."

Co-hosted by the Church World Service (CWS) Middle East Forum, the eight
Christian, Muslim and Druze delegates from Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine and
Syria will travel in teams to hold dialogue and make presentations in
congregational, academic and public policy settings in cities including:

o Chicago (Thurs April 14 ­ Mon April 18)
o Charlotte (Tues April 19­ Wed April 20)
o New York (Thurs April 21 ­ Wed April 27)
o Washington, D.C (Thurs April 28 ­ Sat April 30)

"Our desire for this visit is to demonstrate to American Christians and
Muslims that there is an alternative reality existing in the Middle East
that demonstrates positive, vital models of cooperation between Christians
and Muslims," says Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, General Secretary of the Arab
Group for Christian Muslim Dialogue, based in Beirut, Lebanon.

David Weaver is director of global humanitarian agency Church World
Service¹s Mission Relationships and Witness Program and a founding member of
CWS¹s Middle East Forum. Weaver says, "Religious and civil society leaders
of both faiths in the Middle East and U.S. are concerned about the
persistent images of religious conflict to which the American public is
constantly exposed, particularly since September 11 and the Iraq conflict.

"What is less visible," Weaver says, "are the efforts by Christians and
Muslims to address jointly the many issues that confront them in this
turbulent period."

Weaver says the delegates from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Palestine will
travel in two groups of four, concurrently visiting scheduled major
metropolitan areas to engage in dialogues in local Christian,

Arab Christian and Muslim communities, with seminary students and faculty
and other community
groups.  They will reconvene in Washington, D.C. for a consultation at the
Center for Christian- Muslim Understanding at Georgetown University, a
discussion at the National Baptist Church and other events.

The delegation ­ six men and two women­ brings together academicians, policy
analysts, peace advocates and religious leaders from the Middle East,
including:

Abbas al-Halabi, a Lebanese Druze, President of the Arab Group for
Christian-Muslim Dialogue, a legal advisor to the board of the Bank of
Beirut & The Arab Countries, a former Supreme Court Judge and author of
numerous articles on reconciliation, civil peace and money laundering

Muhammad Sammak, a Lebanese Muslim, former advisor to the late Prime
Minister Mr. Rafic Hariri, an advisor to the Grand Mufti of Lebanon,
Secretary General of The Christian-Muslim Committee for Dialogue, The
Islamic Permanent Committee, and The Executive Committee of The
Christian-Muslim Arab Group, a member of the Lebanese Press Syndicate, and
author of more than 20 books

Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, a Syrian Christian, General Secretary, Arab Group for
Christian Muslim Dialogue, former General Secretary of the Middle East
Council of Churches (MECC), and organizer of the 1996 Muslim-Christian
Conference on Jerusalem held in Beirut

Dr. Mahdi Abd al-Hadi, a Palestinian Muslim, author of The Question of
Palestine and Peaceful Solutions, founder of the Arab Thought Forum, former
Secretary General of the Council for Higher Education in the West Bank, and
founder of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International
Affairs

Dr. Antoine Messara, a Lebanese Christian, professor at the Lebanese
University Department of Communication, General Director of The Foundation
of the Lebanese Association for Permanent Civil Peace in Lebanon, and
founder of the Foundation of the Lebanese Association for Permanent Civil
Peace in Lebanon that brought Christians and Muslims together during
Lebanon¹s civil war

Dr. Nadia Mahmoud Mustafa, an Egyptian Muslim, professor in the political
science department and on the faculty of economics and political science at
Cairo University, and author of numerous books including Strategy of the
Islamic Cultural Activity in the West.

Samir Morcos, an Egyptian Christian, former Associate General Secretary of
the Middle East
Council of Churches, a consultant for the Coptic Center for Social Studies,
Al Fustat Center for Studies and Consultations, and for The Unit for
Citizenship and Dialogue in Cairo, and author of numerous books on
development, including The State of Civil Society in Egypt: Preliminary
Observations and Future Possibilities

Abbas al-Halabi, President of the Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Dialogue,
says the April delegation has been in the planning stages for the past two
years. "Especially after the events of September 11, we were deeply
concerned about the misunderstandings and lack of knowledge about our region
that existed in the Western countries, especially in the U.S.

"We felt we could not leave people by themselves to sort it out, with no
discussion," al-Halabi said.  "We hoped then ­ as we do now, with this
delegation­ to build bridges, to have someone listen to our point of view.

"We didn¹t want Americans to think that all in the Middle East are
extremists and hate all Americans."

Al-Halabi says the delegates also "want to inform Americans about the common
lives shared by Christians and Muslims in our region. Christianity has been
in the Middle East for centuries," he says,
 "and Christians have been living and working with Muslims for a thousand
years­ not without problems," he added, "because there is friction with
plurality­ but also with harmony, because we share the same values and
traditions."

CWS¹s Weaver says the idea for the interfaith delegation was "inspired by
the combined interests of the mission directors from CWS member
denominations who have ministries in the Middle East."

"From the American public and interfaith leaders we meet, we hope to take
back to the Middle East messages of understanding and shared resolves," adds
al-Halabi.

Jarjour said the delegation and its hosts believe that "fostering better
Christian-Muslim relations in the U.S.­ and offering a better understanding
of the good Christian-Muslim relations that do exist in the Middle East­
will support more positive models for peace elsewhere in the region and
globally."

The Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Dialogue, formed in 1995, has members
from Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Sudan and the Gulf
Emirates. The Arab Group affirms "unity and the common heritage of Muslims
and Christians," supports "dealing with internal issues through the
collaborative efforts of Arab nationals - Muslims and Christians - who
belong together to the one homeland."

A faith based relief and development agency that focuses on advocacy issues,
Church World Service is funded in part by and is a ministry of 36 member
denominations in the U.S. CWS has supported humanitarian interfaith
initiatives and has provided emergency relief and development programs in
the Middle East, including aid to victims of pre-and post-war Iraq and the
2004 Bam, Iran, earthquake, support for a community-based program in Old
Cairo Egypt addressing child labor issues, and for the Ahli Arab Hospital
Mobile Outreach Clinic Program in Gaza.

The Church World Service Middle East Forum is one of five regional forums
established by the global humanitarian agency to address issues of common
concern to its member denominations. The Middle East Forum supports its
member communions (denominations) and related partners through shared
information and expertise, coordinated joint action, and recommended
humanitarian and related faith-based policy.

		     ###

CONTACTS:

For National, Charlotte, New York & Washington:
Ann Walle/CWS/New York,  (212) 870-2654, awalle@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin/New York/Boston ­ 24/7, (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net

For Charloitte only: Rev. David Jordan, Providence Baptist Church, (704)
366-2784, cell phone:
(704) 301 5594

For Chicago only:
Connie Baker, (630) 834 1461, BakerCE@aol.com