Conferences and Discussions
Conferences and Discussions have been an essential element of our educational outreach since 2004.
Our first Annual Lecture, at the Ismaili Centre.
Left to Right:
Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi,
The Revd Nadim Nassar,
Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt,
Professor Eric Ormsby and
St.John Wright
Discussions
Each year we hold a number of discussion events across the UK and, on occasion, in North America, the Middle East, or in Hong Kong. Our events fall into two categories:
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Roundtable discussions
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Lectures/talks with a heavy emphasis on interactivity
Since 2012, our Annual Lectures have featured eminent guest speakers including HG Archbishop Angaelos, Canon David Porter, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt. The Annual Lectures have been held at the Ismaili Centre, St. George's Bloomsbury and the Brompton Oratory.
Our Roundtable Discussions began in January 2011 at The Tent at St. Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. Since then we have held Roundtable Discussions on subjects as diverse as "One Year On: London After Lee Rigby" (in partnership with the Anglican Episcopal Area of Woolwich,) "Can I engage with other faiths without compromising my own?" (in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Blackburn, Christian Muslim Encounters, and Lancashire Council of Mosques), "Interfaith Dialogue: an Answer to Extremism and Radicalisation?", and "Can Christians be a Force for Peace in Syria?"
We also take part in many events organised by other organisations, including the Cenotaph ceremony for UN Peacekeepers Day, and a special event for inter-faith organisations held in the Speaker's state rooms at the Houses of Parliament (pictured, below).
Conferences
We held our first international Conference in London in September 2004, when we invited Christian religious and civic leaders from the Middle East and the West to work together to help us set out our strategy, especially for our work in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine.
In 2007, our conference venue was in Aleppo, Syria, as we consulted with religious and civic leaders, forging strong links between Christians in the Middle East and the West and further refining our vision and mission.
Our most recent conference took place in October 2012: after months of preparation, we hosted a three-day International Conference, “Christians in the New Middle East: Fears and Hopes”, in two of London’s major cathedrals. Our Conference brought dozens of Christian and Muslim leaders together to discuss the situation faced by Christians in the Middle East since the beginning of the Arab Spring, and to formulate a plan of action to support the Christian presence there. The delegates came from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq Egypt and Palestine in addition to the UK. After much discussion, the delegates unanimously agreed two documents: ‘Aspirations’, setting out desired outcomes in the Middle East, and ‘Pathways’, ten practical steps to help achieve the Aspirations. The Conference was the result of many years’ work, and the Aspirations and Pathways documents will shape our work in the Middle East for years to come.
Our next conference is planned for late in 2018.