New Year's Greetings/AWR Quarterly Newsletter- December 2022

Submitted by Sara Abdel-Hamid on Sat, 2023-01-07 16:16
Language: 
English
Sent On: 
Sat, 2022-12-31
Year: 
2022
Newsletter Number: 
45

AWR Quarterly Newsletter

December 2022

 

Dear Friends,

 

The arrival of a new year usually provides all of us with at least a little space to reflect on the past year and contemplate what the new year might bring. At our offices in Cairo, the past year has seen some significant changes. We changed the name of our electronic database from Arab-West Report to Dialogue Across Borders: Emerging Perspectives on Intercultural and Interreligious Relations. In doing so, we signaled an expanded and renewed vision for the future of our work. Likewise, after almost thirty years of remarkably effective work in Egypt and the Middle East, our founding editor-in-chief, Cornelis Hulsman, has returned to the Netherlands with his family where he continues to work with us as a senior advisor. I took up the position of editor-in-chief in Cairo this September. Looking toward 2023, we are planning for several strategic developments, including the formal inauguration of our publication agreement with Brill Publishers, deeper engagement with al-Azhar scholarship, further research on the Christians of the Middle East, increased partnership with European institutions, and an international summer conference in Cairo on inclusive citizenship and coexistence. Above all, Dialogue Across Borders will continue to promote authentic dialogue and greater understanding rather than polemical oversimplifications about Egypt and the broader Middle East.
 
Below you will find links to nine DAB newsletters stretching back to October. We hope they provide you with valuable insights on the region and our work. A few days ago, we distributed a newsletter on the passing of Rev. Dr. Jan Slomp in the Netherlands. His remarkable life story is a good reminder that our work is only possible because of the noble efforts of so many that have come before us as well as so many that work alongside us now.
 
With our best wishes for a blessed 2023,
 

 

Matthew Anderson

Editor-in-Chief

Dialogue Across Borders

 

December 31, 2022

 

English Newsletter

 

36) Egyptian Muslims Celebrate the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad
October 16, 2022

On Thursday was Armed Forces Day, a national holiday that mainly commemorates Egypt’s 1973 victory. On Saturday, many Egyptians celebrated the birth of the Prophet Muḥammad. In 2022, that date corresponded to October 8th according to the Gregorian calendar. In the streets of Cairo, many banners congratulated Egyptians on both holidays.
(Click here for full text)

 

37) The Tribunal of Love: The Four Stages of Love in Ibn al-Fāriḍ’s Poetry
October 18, 2022

Former CAWU intern Lara Gibson wrote her senior thesis at Durham University on Ibn al-Fāriḍ (1181- 1235 CE), an Egyptian Sufi poet who taught at al-Azhar and in whose work conceptions of love play a central role. Sufism helped Lara Gibson to develop her love for the Arab World. It was her ambition to become a journalist in the Arab World.
(Click here for full text)

 

38) Christians and Muslims address Climate Change and Sustainable Development as COP27 approaches
October 28, 2022

As COP27 rapidly approaches early next month, religious communities in Egypt are turning their attention in more focused ways toward the environment and sustainable development. We can expect that Muslims and Christians in Egypt will continue engaging with environmental and climate issues. 
(Click here for full text)

 

39) Windows on Coptic Orthodoxy
November 10, 2022

From October 20th - 22nd, Executive Editor Matthew Anderson traveled with two representatives from our Dutch partner organization, Kerk in Actie, to a Coptic retreat center and the Monastery of St. Macarius.
(Click here for full text)

 

40) Researching Christian immigration to the Netherlands
December 03, 2022

Dialogue Across Borders participated on November 30 in a research seminar, “Building Trust: Conducting Research Among and With Christian Migrants,” at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The seminar discussed immigrants coming from all parts of the world to the Netherlands, including from the Caribbean, South East Asia, and the Middle East. 
(Click here for full text)


 

41) Concluding Reflections on COP27
December 17, 2022

Matthew Anderson, Executive Editor of Dialogue Across Borders, reflected on the role of religious communities at COP27, that was held at Sharm al-Shaykh, Egypt.
(Click here for full text)

 

42) Reflections on Pope John Paul II and the Arabic concept of satr
December 21, 2022
But when should one respect the concept of satr and when is going public the right response? The weakness or harm in one domain should not always obscure the good done in another domain.
(Click here for full text)

 

43) Christmas greetings to all our readers
December 24, 2022

At Dialogue Across Borders, we offer our warmest Christmas greetings to all our readers. Many people who celebrate it do so for religious reasons, while for others it is mainly a cultural or family holiday. For religious believers, Christians and Muslims, Christmas signifies the birth of Jesus.
(Click here for full text)

 

44) In memoriam - Rev. Dr. Jan Slomp: a life of interreligious dialogue is liberating
December 29, 2022

Our longtime friend, Rev. Dr. Jan Slomp sadly passed away on December 25th. He welcomed more open attitudes to believers of other religions, favored dialogue and welcomed the establishment of Dialogue Across Borders and was always ready to provide his insights when asked. 
(Click here for full text)

 

 

 

 

If you would like to change your subscription to our quarterly newsletter only, you can do this by writing us at [email protected].