Middle-East Delegates Visit US to Rebuild Christian-Muslim Relations

As an international relief and development ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, the Church World Service (CWS) has played a special role in the ecumenical movement. In light of the misunderstanding between Christians and Muslims, especially among those in the United States and Middle East, CWS Middle East Forum has invited a delegation of Christian and Muslim academic, religious and policy leaders from four Middle-East countries to visit the US this month, in a bid to rebuild positive interfaith relations.

Starting from Thursday 14th April to Saturday 30th April, the eight Christian, Muslim and Druze delegates from Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine and Syria will travel in two teams to hold dialogue and make presentations in congregational, academic and public policy settings in some major metropolitan cities including Chicago, Charlotte, New York and Washington, D.C.

The rift between Christians and Muslims in both countries was to a large extent triggered by the 9/11 terrorist attacks related to Islamic extremists. Since then, a prevailing American stereotype against Muslims and Arabs has risen.

David Weaver, the Director of CWS's Mission Relationships and Witness Program and a founding member of CWS’s Middle East Forum, expalined, "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."

The common interest of both Christians and Muslims to build a better world, however, can be a place where they can unite together again. Waever stressed on this point: "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 said 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."

Abbas al-Halabi, President of the Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Dialogue, one of the eight delegates said, "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...We hoped then - as we do now, with this delegation- to build bridges, to have someone listen to our point of view...We didn’t want Americans to think that all in the Middle East are extremists and hate all Americans," al-Halabi stated.

Al-Halabi said 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."

"...and Christians have been living and working with Muslims for a thousand years - not without problems, because there is friction with plurality - but also with harmony, because we share the same values and traditions," he added.

Other delegates, Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, a Syrian Christian, General Secretary of the Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Dialogue, former General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), said the delegation and its hosts believe that "fostering better Christian-Muslim relations in the US - 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."