AWR Quarterly Newsletter - July 2019
Dear friends,
Please find hereby the list of the newsletters we published in the second quarter of 2019. Please be aware we have two types of newsletters: ‘Weekly’ or ‘Quarterly’. Those who are subscribed to the ‘weekly’ newsletter (irregular but around 50 per year) also receive the quarterly overviews. If you wish to receive fewer newsletters per year but nevertheless would like to know what we have been involved in you can request us to place you on the quarterly list only.
Cornelis Hulsman,
Editor-in-Chief Arab-West Report
English Newsletters
1) Pesach, Easter and Ramadan
April 20, 2019
The Jewish feast of Pesach started yesterday and ends Saturday April 27. Pesach is the feast of the liberation of the people of Israel from Egypt in the days of Moses. Tomorrow Western churches celebrate Easter, the feast of the resurrection of Jesus from the death. Ramadan, the fasting month for Muslims, starts on May 5.
(Click here for full text)
2) Easter Tragedy in Sri Lanka; Radical and Intolerant Beliefs Need to Be Addressed
April 24, 2019
A huge attack on eight churches and hotels in Sri Lanka leaving 321 people dead with the death toll still rising. Easter, the feast of the risen Lord Jesus, is the most important feast in Christianity and thus churches were packed with worshipers. They spread death on a day that should have been a day of joy for the families and communities of the victims.
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3) How to Respond to Extremism
April 30, 2019
Religious people from all faiths should become more aware of the origins of their religion as well as of the different cultural influences to various aspects of their faith. Such awareness would help the faithful to realize why there are so many interpretations of both Christian or Islamic scriptures.
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4) Join us for a visit to Old Cairo, May 11, 2019
May 2, 2019
Father Serabamun of St. Barbara Church in Old Cairo is welcoming us for a historical tour around Old Cairo, but was not able to do this before Easter.
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5) Ramadan
May 6, 2019
Today is the first day of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast around the globe. This means avoiding immoral acts, as well as abstaining from eating and drinking from sun-rise to sun-set.
6) Promoting Religious Tourism to Egypt
May 20, 2019
Drs. Cornelis Hulsman was interviewed by al-Monitor about the opportunities for Holy Family tourism to Egypt. Egypt is a country with an extremely rich history. This includes church history with a unique tradition that is still very much alive, and which shows much about Christian day-to-day life in Egypt.
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7) Islam and Korea
May 30, 2019
The history of Islam in Africa, Europe and North-America is well known to many people. Very few people, however, know about Korea’s history with Islam. Even fewer people are aware of Yemeni refugees seeking refuge in Korea. Our Korean intern Junghoon Lee researched this history and provided an excellent report about Korea’s history with Islam and how Jeju Island became the springboard to Korea for asylum seekers from Yemen.
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8) Ramadan iftar in church around the Qur’anic verse “...Come now to a word common between us and you, that we serve none but God.”
May 31, 2019
St. John the Baptist’s Church was host to an interfaith-ʾifṭār filled with delicious food and impressive speakers. The event, the first of its kind in St. John’s nearly 90 year history, sought to underscore the shared values underpinning both Christian and Muslim religious morality through the lens of the Common Word.
(Click here for full text)
9) Eid al-Fitr for Muslims and Christians
June 3, 2019
Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan is three days. All offices, including ours, are closed. Egypt’s Christians love the Eid al-Fitr as well because it is a moment that families can spend time together. Most Egyptian holiday resorts are fully booked during this feast.
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10) Summer School Recruitment July 2-9, 2019
June 10, 2019
This year, there are two summer schools available in our center: one in cooperation with the Anglican Diocese of Egypt for the period July 2-July 9 and a second one at SEKEM farm between July 7 -14. The two summer schools will have different angles. With the Anglican Diocese this will be more academic, targeting students at university level, and with SEKEM this will be more interpersonal.
11) Recruitment: Summer School in Christian-Muslim Understanding
June 14, 2019
The theme of this year Summer School with the Anglican Diocese of Egypt is: Moving Forward Together: Muslims and Christians together in Egyptian Society.
12) Highly ambitious plans to provide affordable quality secondary school education in Egypt
June 23, 2019
Our NGO is about to embark on a huge ambitious undertaking without having, at this stage, the needed funding but in the faith that this can be realized; providing education for students who have no other opportunities for education. Please support our Learning Center in whatever way you can! Help us realize these truly ambitious plans.
Dutch Newsletter
1) 17 April; de strijd tegen generalisaties; avond over de verhoudingen tussen Moslims en niet-Moslims
April 17, 2019
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Emerging Perspectives on Intercultural and Interreligious Relations
Dialogue Across Borders is a database of summary translations of Arabic newspaper articles with references to their sources about intercultural and interreligious relations, focusing primarily but not exclusively on Muslim-Christian relations. The database also contains articles with editorial analysis and interviews on the subject.