October 22 , 2008

  Second International Conference on Christian-Muslim Relations begins with

Guidance and Words of Warning

By Deema Amereh and Vivian Ghobar

Around one hundred Muslim and Christian scholars met in Cardinal Furno Hall at Bethlehem University on Wednesday, October 15 th to discuss the role and influence of media and education on Christian-Muslim relations. This International Conference, which brought together scholars from several different countries, as well as four Palestinian universities, was organized for the second time by the Religious Studies Department at Bethlehem University .

“God who is the Creator of all, is also the one in whom we might find unity of purpose and the foundation of our hope,” said Brother Robert Smith, FSC, PhD., Interim Vice Chancellor and Vice President for Academic Affairs, in his welcoming speech in the opening session.

A mix of Palestinian Christian and Muslim scholars attended the three-day conference. His Beatitude, the Latin Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, said that each educational background should not point to, or blame, Christians or Muslims as the ‘other' side. “The Palestinians must direct their children to accept and respect the other religion, so our new generation would be more open minded,” His Beatitude concluded.

Adding to the words of His Beatitude, the head of the Islamic court in the West Bank and Gaza , Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi, remarked that Bethlehem is the heart of coexistence between Christians and Muslims. He added that other nations are amazed at Palestinian Christian-Muslim relations. “There are threats affecting our unity; therefore we need to improve our generations by education and media to protect this unity,” he affirmed. Abdul Mjeed Ata, the Mufti of Bethlehem, also requested responsible institutions to arrange coexistence workshops, outdoor, and school activities to improve Christian-Muslim relations and internalize the acceptance of the other.

Dr. Hanna Issa, representative of the Ministry of Awkaf and Religious Affairs, pointed out that coexistence between both Christians and Muslims is the responsibility of the Palestinian ministries, especially the Ministry of Education, which can help educate the youth, teach them to become united and create dialogue sessions in high schools and universities.

As a secular Muslim, Dr. Sari Nuseibeh, President of Al-Quds University in Jerusalem , expressed his failure at attempting to solve religious conflicts, instead, he passed responsibility for inter-religious conflict resolution to religious authorities. Dr. Nuseibeh said that the different divine messages didn't conflict but people themselves did. He said educational institutions are responsible for connecting the bridges between all religions and beliefs.

One of the highlights of the conference was the Michael Prior Memorial Lecture delivered by Victoria Clark. Clark, a British author and journalist, gave a prescient and eloquent talk titled The Influence of the Evangelical Zionist Lobby on Perceptions of Islam in the Western Media . Reverend Professor Michael Prior C.M. was a supporter of the rights of the Palestinians, and a founder and chairperson of the Living Stones of the Holy Land Trust. Reverend Prior died suddenly in July 2004 and the trust wished to honor his work and name. The trust helped in the founding of Bethlehem University 's Religious Studies Department.

In her talk, Clark warned against the powerful emergence of a religious bloc combining Jews in Israel and the United States , and what she referred to as Evangelical Christian Zionists. She said the growing power of these groups has negatively impacted Christian-Muslim relations because they seek to foment uneasiness about Islam in the mainstream American media – what she called ‘an invitation to fear and hatred.'

The conference is co-sponsored by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), the Friends of Bethlehem University in England and Wales (FoBU-UK), the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) -Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza Office, and the Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem (PMP).