The recent upsurge in sectarian tensions in the latter half of this year has brought with it a tremendous loss of life and driven not only expatriates, but also Egyptians, from the country. As an inherently religious people, Egyptians, both Muslim and Christian alike, have fostered an impassioned culture based largely on honor and shame.  When this emotionally-charged society erupts, we witness the staggering number of sectarian incidents that have befallen the Egyptian people in the last several decades. 

With such an impassioned way of life has also come a level of warmth and hospitality unparalleled in the Middle East.  Having learned of Egyptians’ generosity firsthand 35 years ago, Cornelis Hulsman began what would become his life’s work of researching sectarian tensions and seeking to debunk the many rumors that surface in their wake.  After moving his family to Egypt in 1994, Hulsman and his Egyptian wife, Sawsan, agreed that a database containing works from he and countless others willing to contribute to intercultural and interfaith dialogue would be a valuable tool against such misinformation. Dispelling such rumors could calm fear, anger, and uncertainty, they dreamt. 

15 years later, the Arab-West Report website had become home to the largest database of its kind, giving a voice to writers in many disciplines from Egypt and around the world who have shared our vision and our devotion to dialogue and conflict resolution. Our interns, especially, have made substantial contributions over the years, publishing innumerable original pieces on our website.  By sharing this work, it is the aim of this organization to educate our readers by enlightening them about the true nature of conflicts in order to develop a means of preventing such conflicts in the future.  We also seek to reveal a range of other aspects of Egyptian culture and society that will give our readers a more complete picture of the Egyptian people.  

This June our work suffered a devastating blow when an attempt was made to erase the tens of thousands of pieces that have been compiled for our readership.  When our backup storage and other pertinent hardware were then taken from us as well, we knew that the cost in both time and money would prove a great drain on our small staff and modest funding. 

Our staff, both here in Cairo and our volunteers in Europe, has worked tirelessly to overcome this setback.  The cost of restoring our database and website has swelled to 13,000 EUR and will continue to rise.  

Our work can and will continue as we remain dedicated to our host country and our goals. We are eternally grateful for the contributions made by our readers so far this year and we hope that our readers will continue to give so that we can overcome these difficulties.  We can do this with your help.  

Sincerely,

Jenna Ferrecchia                                                                           Adel Rizkallah

English-language Editor/Intern Coordinator                          Managing Director

Cornelis Hulsman                                                                          Nevine Saweres

Editor-in-Chief                                                                                       Administrative Assistant

Vivian Said                                                                                          Yosra El Gendi

Secretary                                                                                                 Researcher

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