Dear readers,
 

Please find hereby our overview of our newsletters of the last quarter of 2021. This highlights the importance of intercultural dialogue, our work with student interns, and the CAWU Learning Centre. The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been an inspiration of all advocating dialogue founded in religious convictions. He was the founder and chairman of the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” (1996-2003) in South Africa which has healed many of the racial tensions between different peoples. Egypt experienced, on a much smaller scale, tensions between Christians and Muslims, since the 1970s and established the Bayt al-Ayla (House of the Family) to advocate dialogue. The Bayt al-Ayla celebrated on November 8 its 10^th anniversary.

We are expecting great changes in 2022. We have asked Dr. Matthew Anderson (Georgetown University) to succeed me in June 2022. We are furthermore talking with AUC about transferring our database and Learning Centre for refugees to AUC. This is, in our view, the best guarantee that the work we have started will be continued for years to come.

Wishing you all a blessed 2022 and wishing our Coptic Orthodox readers a blessed Christmas on January 7.

Cornelis Hulsman,

Editor-in-Chief Arab-West Report

English Newsletter

31) Searching for sponsors to support Physical Education at our refugee learning centre

October 05, 2021

Physical education is a subject that has been widely neglected at refugee learning centres that give priority to academics since this is what helps them to obtain their diplomas. We would wish we could offer our refugee students more.
(Click here for full text)

32) Invitation for October 12 lecture Cornelis Hulsman on Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt
October 06, 2021

On October 12 Cornelis Hulsman, editor-in-chief of Arab-West Report, will provide in a lecture at St. John the Baptist Church in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt, a reflection on 30+ years of research and reporting about Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt
(Click here for full text)

33) Ten years of Egyptian Family House (Bayt al-Ayla)

November 11, 2021

The Azhar al-Sherif and Egyptian churches celebrated on November 8 that they established the Bayt al-Ayla ten years ago, the main organization for dialogue between Muslims and Christians in Egypt.
(Click here for full text)

34) Understanding 7th century Christian views about the arrival of Islam in Egypt
November 17, 2021

Arab-West Report organized in 2009 a highly interesting discussion about the arrival of Islam with Prof. Dr. Harald Suermann and imam Fadel Soliman, Director of the Bridges Foundation. This has resulted a highly interesting AWR paper about the arrival of Islam in Egypt and how did Christians view it.
(Click here for full text)

35) CAWU Learning Centre website is now live
November 18, 2021

AWR interns have contributed greatly to the development of our Learning Centre for refugees in Egypt, and they have now launched the CAWU Learning Centre website.
(Click here for full text)

36) Prince Charles visited Egypt on an interfaith mission

November 21, 2021
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla visited Egypt for a two-day visit for the first time in 15 years on a mission centered on inter-faith co-existence and the battle against climate change. Prof. Dr. Hassan Wageih wrote a reflection on the Prince’s visit for Arab-West Report.
(Click here for full text)

37) Israeli Apartheid? Comparisons with South Africa
December 01, 2021

Author Britt van Rossum has written an extremely interesting paper about comparisons between the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967 with the South African apartheid system from before 1990. Her paper shows how political debates can impede substantial dialogue.
(Click here for full text)

38) A Turkish intern experience in Egypt
December 02, 2021

The Center for Arab-West Understanding plays a major role in bringing young students from all over the world to Egypt and engage them in visits, interviews and projects.
(Click here for full text)

39) Political Violence, Activism and Conflict
December 02, 2021

Palestinian professor Mohammed Dajani Daoudi has united a moderate voice in his Islamic movement Wasatia. The term Wasatia focuses on centrism, moderation, justice and balance. The movement uses education and dialogue as catalysts for reconciliation.
(Click here for full text)

40) Hassan Hanafi (1935-2021)
December 14, 2021

Hassan Hanafi, a leading authority in modern Islam, called for an inter-faith dialogue aimed at rediscovering the progressive and humanistic dimensions in all religions that in his view are focused on justice and freedom. Ḥanafī was obviously seeking at a common denominator among different religions and called for a dialogue based on mutual respect and equality.
(Click here for full text)

41) CAWU AfriChoir performs December 22 with an update of our achievements
December 20, 2021

Students of the CAWU Learning Centre for refugees perform on December 22, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Zamalek, Cairo. There will be a choir, solos, piano performances with five pianists, drama, written and performed by students and two dance groups.
(Click here for full text)

42) Wishing you a blessed Christmas and New Year with a Major Announcement
December 21, 2021

In 2022, we will change the name of Arab-West Report to Dialogue Across Borders: Emerging Perspectives on Intercultural and Interreligious Relations. This name change, we believe, will open up opportunities to address intercultural and interreligious dialogue around the region and globally.
(Click here for full text)

43) Bubastis, Capital of Egypt and Ezekiel, The Prophet in Exile
December 23, 2021

The Egyptian Holy Family tradition is so much richer than stating that they fled the soldiers of king Herod from location A to B to C. Each location has a history that should be considered. Locations of the Holy Family are not random locations.
(Click here for full text)

44) The world is in need of dialogue
December 26, 2021

We are in need of dialogue; the Catholic Pope spoke about the need of dialogue and so did King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands. We should look beyond our own cultural bubble and should respect the different ways these calls are formulated.
(Click here for full text)

45) Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) and Egypt
December 28, 2021

On December 26 South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away. He was not only an international advocate for human rights, equality, justice and peace but also always advocated non-violence and dialogue. His life remains an inspiration to us and to all advocates of dialogue and mutual understanding regardless of differences.
(Click here for full text)

46) Experiences of Turkish student Tolga Aslanapa in Egypt
December 30, 2021

The Center for Arab-West Understanding plays a major role in bringing young students from all over the world to Egypt and engage them in visits, interviews and projects.
(Click here for full text)
 

Dutch Newsletter

47) De overdracht van ons werk is aanstaande maar voor dit jaar afsluiten met een tekort, kunnen wij ons beslist niet veroorloven! Voorlopig verblijf in Nederland en werken vanuit huis.
November 24, 2021
(Click here for full text)

48) Uw bijdrage voor het einde van dit jaar blijft belangrijk
December 08, 2021
(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].