Special message from the Arab-West Report Interns
Arab-West Report Needs You!
We volunteer, you donate, and together we cultivate meaningful dialogue!
No matter what your religion is, being very religious does not make you anti-Christian, anti-Muslim, anti-Buddhist, anti-women, etc. One should never make generalized statements.
-Cornelis Hulsman
Egypt currently finds itself in a delicate situation of transition—a democracy is taking shape, while the constitution has yet to materialize. The role of the media is now essential as people are eager to participate in current affairs and want to inform themselves. Arab-West Report (AWR) is dedicated to providing the objective information that the public needs.
In this dynamic landscape we, as interns of Arab-West Report, are pursuing various lines of research. We are exposed to multiple views on political, intercultural, and social relations in Egypt. Representing many countries and ethnic backgrounds, we are a mix of people with diverse academic interests who also learn a great deal from one another. We contribute to AWR by publishing papers and by reporting on meetings we have had with political authorities, professors, and activists, among others. Our research topics include migration of Egyptians; Coptic migration after the Revolution as portrayed by the media; post-Revolution feminism; poverty; and overcrowding and sectarian tensions.
As a faithful reader of our newsletter, you know that Arab-West Report is a unique source of information. News on topics of intercultural dialogue and Muslim-Christian relations in Arabic news sources is made available for those who cannot read Arabic. This work is of great importance in a time when dialogue is more important than ever. Working in this environment as an intern is a valuable experience. In return, Arab-West Report values its interns who are committed to the organization on a voluntary basis.
In order to improve the intern program, AWR will need to make some important changes. Hiring a paid, part-time intern coordinator; a paid full-time, English-language editor; and an academic supervisor will benefit the quality of AWR and provide interns with knowledge we can share in our home institutions and communities.
Mette Toft Nielsen: “I have experienced different aspects of the Egyptian
society. This has allowed me to get an in-depth insight in the life of
Egyptians articulated by themselves, from their own perspectives. Being
involved with Arab West Report has so far enriched me through valuable
knowledge not only within the field of my research, but also about the
Egyptian society, not least the Egyptian people, in a broader sense.”
Mette Toft Nielsen (28, Denmark)
MA student in International Migration and Ethnic
Relation, currently MA thesis writer
Focus AWR: Migration of Egyptians
Diana Serodio: “It has been a priceless experience. I accompanied Mr. Hulsman while he organized an Egyptian delegation formed by representatives of the five main Egyptian parties. My responsibility
was to write reports of the various meetings to help improve the internal structure of those parties. Ever since, I have been deeply committed to facilitate dialogue between conflicting party leaders to improve inter-party communication, help find common ground and coordinate efforts to solve shared problems. After only two months at AWR, I already feel as though I have actively contributed to the consolidation of Democracy in Egypt!”
Diana Serôdio (21, Portugal)
Major in Political Science and International Relations
Universidade Nova de Lisboa (2009/2011) and
Sciences-Po Paris, (2011/2012)
Focus AWR: Egyptian Multi Party Group
Rosa-Lena Keim: “I am really enjoying my time at Arab West Report,
especially the intercultural atmosphere in the office - to work with interns
and staff from all over the world and Egyptians with all different kind of
backgrounds. Moreover I appreciate having direct access to current news and
literature concerning current interreligious and both international and
national political topics. All in all I consider this program an unique
experience and a very important part of AWR to foster the relationship
between East and West.”
Rosa-Lena Keim (23, Germany)
Student of Psychology (Intermediate Diploma/BA)
University of Würzburg
Focus AWR: Trauma, Religion & Mental Health, Poverty & Overcrowding
Jaco Stoop: “I think that during these changing times in Egypt,
it's of the utmost importance to create and promote mutual understanding between Muslims and Christians.
Arab West Report can contribute to and facilitate dialogue
between Muslims and Christians of various backgrounds in society, in order to prevent the Egyptian society from slowly falling apart.”
Jaco Stoop (23, the Netherlands)
BA Degree in Languages and Culture of the Middle East
University of Groningen
Focus AWR: Coptic migration after the
Revolution as portrayed in the English and
Arabic media
Eline Kasanwidjojo: “Interning at the Arab West
Report has given me a great insight in current
Egyptian politics, interreligious relations and
intercultural relations. I interviewed a female Co-
founder of the Freedom and Justice Party and be given
the opportunity to meet with activists and other
politicians. I really love to work in this environment
with people from different backgrounds and with
different opinions. Also being on top of the news and
involved in politics right now is such a valuable
experience the midst of this transition period in Egypt.”
Eline Kasanwidjojo (24, the Netherlands)
BA Degree and MA Degree in International Relations and
International Organization
University of Groningen
Focus AWR: Post-Revolution Feminism in Cairo
Jonas Sylvest: “I was inspired by an article by
Mr. Hulsman to do research on the relationship between poverty overcrowding and sectarian tensions in Greater Cairo, a very interesting, unique and not the least
important topic that has not been and cannot be researched enough. My time at AWR has given me valuable insight in how a NGO works and I had the pleasure of meeting the friendly and interesting employees and interns of AWR.
It has been interesting to follow Egypt first hand in the very important democratic transition that is taking place at the moment, and to be able to talk to Egyptians about their thoughts and feelings of the new government.” Jonas Sylvest (27, Denmark)
MA Student Middle Eastern Studies
University of Southern Denmark
Focus AWR: Poverty, overcrowding and
sectarian tensions in Greater Cairo
Arab West Report is read around the world by academics and people interested in Middle-Eastern affairs and Christian-Muslim relations. We ask for your help! If each reader would make a modest contribution of only 10 Euros (about 15 USD), we would be able to finance part or all the activities listed above.
Support received from our ongoing funders; Kerk In Actie, Misereor, and Missio, although greatly appreciated, is unfortunately insufficient to maintain our current operation. To keep up the good work and provide you all with an objective source of information, we not only need a bunch of motivated interns from all over the world, we need you!
By clicking on the link above, you find out how to make donations from outside of Egypt via
Arab-West Foundation, by means of bank transfer or PayPal. Donations from the Netherlands are also tax deductible.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
The Arab-West Report Interns
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.