Christian – Muslim Dialogue Conference

Building Confidence between the Arab and Muslims World and the West

Christian – Muslim Dialogue Conference
21st Session
13-15 August 2009

Titled
Building Confidence between the Arab and Muslims World and the West
Past Experiences and Future Horizons

Subjects:

1. Relations of the Arabs and the West in the Pre – Islamic Period.

– Dr. Geries S. Khoury

2. Relations between the Arab and Muslim Worlds and the West at the beginning of the Islamic Period.

– Dr. Muhsin Yousef

3. Relations between the Arab and Muslim worlds and the West in the Umayyad Period.

– Dr. Jamal Juda

4. Relations between the Arab and Muslim worlds and the West in the Abbasid Period.

-Dr. Sa’eed Al-Bishawi

5. Arabic and Muslim Relations with the West in the Andulisian (Spanish) Period.

– Dr. Omar Shalabi

6. The Crusade Wars and its Impact on Muslim Christian Relations.

-Dr. Atallah Qubti

7. Relations between Arab and Muslim worlds and the West in the Ottoman Period.

– Dr. Tayseer Jabara

8. The Impact of the Sykes Picot and the Balfour Declaration on Arab and Western Relations.

– Dr. Hammad Hussein

9. What is the Relation between Arabs and the West: Conflict or Dialogue?

– Dr. Bernard Sabella

10. The Role of Religious Thought in Building Confedence between the Arab World and the West.

– Fr. Rafiq Khoury

– Dr. Hamza Theeb

11. How to Build Confidence between Arabs and the West.

– Prof. Thiab Ayyoush

Titled
Building Confidence between the Arab and Muslims World and the West
Past Experiences and Future Horizons

The Conference of Arab Heritage for Muslims and Christians in the Holy Land was opened on the thirteenth of August 2009. This conference is annually organized by the Center for Religious and Heritage Studies in the Holy Land in the city of Bethlehem. The twenty-first session of the Conference was entitled “Building Confidence between the Arab and Muslim World and the West: Past Experiences and Future Horizons.”

A large number of intellectuals, members and friends of the Center from Bethlehem, Jerusalem and villages and cities of Galilee attended the Conference. The proceedings of the Conference will continue until afternoon of the fifteenth of August. A large number of lecturers and specialists from local and international universities contribute by preparing academic studies on the topics put forth for discussion to indicate the nature of the relationship between the Arabs and the Muslims and the West before the call to Islam, during Islam and until our present day.

Mr. Mousa Darwish, deputy director of Al-Liqa’ Center opened the Conference with welcoming remarks, stressing the importance of the message of Al-Liqa’ Center and the necessity of its programs at a time when all need dialogue, national unity and shared living. His Beatitude Patriarch Michael Sabbah president of Al-Liqa’ Board of Trustees was the first speaker in the opening session. He welcomed local and international audience. He said that our people needs thought because it is the strength of man and the strength of the people. Thought is the moving force, and by it a people exists or does not exist, or it exists as a weak people who is perplexed and is gone astray in it quarrels and in defining its vision. Besides thought, we need another force which is faith: faith in God who is the source of hope, no matter how bad the situation is. His Beatitude also said that building confidence begins with self-confidence, so that it is an empty impotent haughtiness and pride. It should begin with self-knowledge. His Beatitude also said that not all the West is one thing. It is not one faith, and it is not one people and not all of it are enemies. Rather, there are peoples and religions in it. There is a true spiritual life. There are friends in it. There is policy in it and there is imperialism in it. This is what prevails on its features today in our relation with it. We may not drown the entire West in the evil of the policy which we see in it in what concerns us. In the West there are points of weakness and points of strength. We know these to take from them and make them a good for us and not imperialism for our countries.

Patriarch Sabbah was followed by His Eminence Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Tamimi, Chief Judge of Palestine. He said: “When I am at Al-Liqa’ Center, I feel the warmth of the distinguished Islamic – Christian unity. This unity should preserve the religious, political, cultural and intellectual diversity and pluralism in Palestine because it is the only way to liberate the homeland. However, I am afraid for and concerned in these days about this unity.

I stress in the presence of respectful brothers from the Christian leadership that I am afraid for this unity of which we were proud because I feel that the manifestation of division which fell on the Palestinian people are reflected to a certain extent on this unity. I call upon you for more cohesion in order to preserve Jerusalem, the city which strengthens our unity. If this relationship and this unity are struck, Israel would have achieved the most important goal of the Zionist project which is hegemony over Jerusalem. In his speech, his eminence also said that the confidence between the Arabs and the West cannot be achieved unless the nature and the specificity of the distinguished city of Jerusalem are preserved.

“I feel greatly concerned about the decreasing number of Christians in Jerusalem. I cannot imagine Jerusalem devoid of Christian Arabs. Therefore, I call upon Christian and Islamic leaderships to be vigilant and to work night and day for the sake of preserving the Arabism of this holy city.”

Professor Thiab Ayyoush, deputy president of Al-Liqa’ Center Board of Trustees, after welcoming the audience, said that the conference carries a new thing which is research and documentation. This is a matter of utmost importance. He added: “we shall be objective in understanding the reaction of relationships.” He presented historical events and concluded that it is necessary to build a correct relationship between the two parties. Professor Ayyoush said that the theme of the Conference is new and we hope through it to establish a serious relationship with the West. He stressed that building confidence cannot be done except by a balanced relationship between the two parties, and that it should not be built on weak bases. It should be built on the bases of conformity and this cannot be unless there are good and true intentions.

The fourth speaker was educator and writer Fathi Forani from the city of Haifa. He talked about the experience of the Palestinians in Israel in preserving Islamic and Christian holy places. He reminisced the role of the Islamic Initiative Committee in Haifa, and declared that the conflict is continuous in this connection.

The concluding speech was given by Dr. Geries Sa’ed Khoury, director of Al-Liqa’ Center, who thanked the participants for their interest, attendance and participation. He offered special thanks for the committee which met several times to prepare the program of the integrated conference which deals with one of our most important issues. Dr. Khoury said there are many memories of the past which hurt us. All of us in one form or another are responsible for this history in varying proportions. All of us are responsible for this gap between the two worlds specially when all wrongly exploited religion to justify the wars they waged, the occupation, harming, being haughty towards the other and excluding him. He added: “In order to rebuild the confidence between the two worlds, it is inevitable first to rebuild the confidence in ourselves as individuals, and to adhere to our Arab identity and to our strong belonging to our people, history, civilization and religion. After restoring confidence in ourselves, we have to restore confidence among us, Christians and Muslims, with the aim shared living in which all are equal in rights and duties. We have to work for our Arab and national unity which is difficult to achieve without agreement on a work program and an objective vision of our political and social future. At the end of his speech, Dr. Khoury said: “On this good occasion and a few days before the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan, I am happy to convey a special greeting to our Muslim brothers wishing them a blessed fasting and that we pray together for our national unity and for just peace.

After opening the Conference, there was a short break in which the audience had refreshments and cookies. Then they returned to the lecture hall to listen to and participate in the lectures of the first day.

Dr. Geries Sa’ed Khoury delivered the first lecture which was entitled: “The Relationship of the Arabs with the West before Islam.” He talked about the civilized presence in the East and the cultural and political consequences of the conquest of Alexander of Macedonia for the countries of the East and their coming under the Roman occupation after that. The lecturer also dealt with the beginning of the spreading of Christianity, its relationship with Greek philosophy and the Roman Empire, the spreading of Christianity among Arab tribes and their literature, philosophy and theology, and the relationship of Christianity with Judaism and paganism.

He also stressed the importance of the attendance of Arab bishops at the first ecumenical councils and their role in civilized exchange between the East and the West and about the importance of the role of the early Christian pilgrims in the relationship of the East with the West. Dr. Khoury pointed out to the relationship of the Arabs with the Byzantines and the Persians and their contacts with the West via trade and agriculture, their being influenced by the Westerners specially in the  art in building churches and monasteries, building roads, bridges and magnificent dams, and establishing public libraries, etc…

Dr. Khoury ended his lecture by dealing with the kind of political relations between the Arabs and the West especially by service relation of the Ghassanids with Byzantines and that of Al-Manathera with the Persians and the continuous fighting among them instead of being interested in their own interests and their independence. He concluded his lecture by saying: “Today, it seems that we have not learnt anything from our history, our mistakes and the experiences of the past. We remained as we were during the time of the Ghassanids and Al-Manathera because today we see the leaders of our Arab people compete among themselves in offering services to international policies which do not seek the good for us and for our Arab nations, rather they suppress our peoples, violate our rights, occupy our countries, exploit our wealth and support our enemies. We will have no dignity and no freedom unless we unify our word and our ranks.

Dr. Muhsin Yousef delivered the second lecture entitled “The Relationship between the Arab World and the West during the Call to Islam.” In the lecture the lecturer focused on the position of the Apostle Muhammad and the Muslims vis-à-vis the Jews and the Christians considering that the relationship with these two categories come under the item of external relations of the early Muslims, and on the messages of the Apostle (peace be upon him) to the emperors, kings and sheikhs of the countries and tribes of the region and on the relationship of the rightly-guided Caliphs with Byzantine state and on the Islamic-Arab conquests and the theory of Perrin who claimed that the Arabs and the Muslims made the Mediterranean Sea a closed border area separating the two sides of the Sea after it was in the past a link connecting all the countries of the region.

   On the second day, the first lecture was on “The Relationship between the Arab and Muslim World and the West during the Ummayyad Caliphate” by Professor Jamal Juda, professor of history at An-Najah National University. In his lecture, he focused on two important stages: the first stage was the call to Islam in Al-Hijaz at the time of the Apostle of God (peace be upon) (610 – 633. A. D.) in which there is clear solidarity by Islam with Christian Byzantium (the Roum) against pagan Persia and its allies the Jews. As soon as Islam began to announce its aims represented by being in charge of the earth and those on it and inheriting the previous nations, the features of the second period became defined by enmical relations between the two parties and there was no longer any way to build confidence or understanding in most cases.

It can be said that the relations between the Arabs (Islam) and the West (Christianity) at the time of the Umayyads were enmical relations par excellence on which military collision prevailed between them and there was no way to build confidence between the two parties.

Dr. Sa’ied Al-Bishawi, an associate professor at Al-Quds Open University, in his lecture on “The Relationship between the Arab and Muslim world and the West during the Abbasid Caliphate” dealt with three axes which are:

1. The relationship between the Abbasid Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire, in which he talked about the war relations between the two parties and he also dealt with peaceful periods. This is in addition to talking about the commercial relations between the two states.
2. The relationship of the Abbasid Caliphate with the Holy Roman Empire and in this axis he pointed to the relationship between the Abbasid Caliph Haroun Al-Rasheed and Emperor Charlamane and to the exchange of gifts between them.
3. In the third axis, Dr. Al-Bishawi dealt with the nature of relations between Al-Murabetoun and Al-Muwwahedoun and the Spanish kingdoms and some European countries.

The third lecture on the second day was about “The Arab and Islamic Relation with the West during the Andalusian Era” presented by Dr. Omar Shalabi, lecturer at Hebron University. He said that the Andalusian society had been distinguished since the Islamic conquest of Al-Andalos by cultural diversity. So it was several ethnic backgrounds and religions composed of Arabs, Berbers, Spaniards and Sicilians, and Christians, Muslims and Jews. These elements reacted with each other which led to the distinction of Al-Andalos in its civilization structure. The lecturer also focused on coexistence between Muslims and other sects in Al-Andalos and on the Andalusian relations with Christian states which were not characterized by tranquility and stability. He also dealt with diplomatic relations and the exchange of embassies and that they did not have a political hue only, but also carried a civilizational aspect especially in the exchange of science and architecture. The researcher concluded with a number of results which embody the concepts of coexistence and cooperation between states and peoples because we are all firstly and finally the children of Adam and the slaves of the one and only God.

Dr. Atallah Sa’id Qubti dealt first in his lecture entitled “The Crusades and Their Effect on Islamic – Christian Relations” with the demographic problem which the Crusaders faced. He said: “The Crusaders lived in a sea of Muslims who did not miss any opportunity to ambuscade them, get rid of their ruling them, and expelling them from the Muslim Orient. Thus no integration whatsoever occurred between the two parties. The policy of mutual rejection prevailed among them as reflected by the annals of contemporary historians from both parties.

On the civilization level, the benefit derived by the Crusaders from the Islamic Arab civilization during this epoch was slight compared to what the Christian West obtained via Sicily and Al-Andalos. He ended his lecture saying that the Crusades left negative effects on the Christian – Islamic relations. These wars aroused a wave of religious fanaticism, and the Christian West was not liberated from the Crusader thought until the past century.

Professor Tayseer Jbara said in his lecture about “The relationship between the Arab and Muslim world and the West during the Ottoman era” that the relationship between the East and West is old. It was sometimes tainted by war and sometimes by peace. However, in the Ottoman era, it was historically better than previous periods. After 1774 the European countries began to race for obtaining booty from the sick man (the Ottoman state). The European countries concluded trade agreements with the Ottoman sultan and with the local rulers. Britain preceded other European countries. Dr. Tayseer said that the European countries competed among each other for the protection of Christian minorities in the Ottoman state especially in Arab countries. It adopted several means to control the Arab areas such as missionary work which is a prelude for imperialism, and loans to rulers of Arab areas. Since the rulers could not pay back the debts, the West seized Arab lands under the pretext of paying the debts and under the pretext of preserving the Christians in the Arab countries. So the Europeans colonized the Arab areas after occupying them. He also mentioned that the missionaries brought new sciences to the East and opened schools and universities which the Christians and Muslims entered, and the scientific renaissance increased.

Dr. Hammad Hussein, dean of student affairs at Jenin University mentioned in his lecture about “The Consequences of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration on the Relations between the Arabs and the West” that the declaration of signing the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration during the First World War was crowning a historical process which continued for more than a century in which plans and mechanisms were put for establishing a state for the Jews in Palestine.

The Agreement had very serious consequences and secretions on the relationship between the Arabs and the West. The first of these consequences was a loss of confidence between the Arabs and the Western countries. Among the consequences of the Balfour Declaration were the occupation of Palestine by Britain and giving a free hand for the International Zionist Organization in Britain to establish a state for the Jews under the protection of Britain and its administrative, political, economic and legislative aid.

On the third day, the conference participants began by a Muslim and Christian invocation presented by Father Dr. Jamal Khader and lawyer ‘Ali Rafe’. After the invocation, Dr. Bernard Sabella and Dr. Alexander Scott participated in the first session entitled “The Relation between the West and the Arab world: A Relation of Conflict or Dialogue.” Dr. Bernard mentioned that the events of 11/9/2001 accelerated the efforts of dialogue but they are also a memory for wars and confrontations which occurred throughout history in which positive effects in transferring sciences and knowledge and in strengthening world trade were mixed with the negative effects which resulted from them. They also led to the increasing desire among many Westerners to delve deeply and to know more about the Arabs. However, they also led to military reactions whether in Iraq or in Afghanistan which could have been avoided had the American policy used its wisdom instead of exposing its muscles. However, it is clear that the Arab-Israeli conflict and the establishment of Israel by force on the Palestinian Arab land have greatly harmed the relationship between the Arabs and the Muslims and the Western world. Many Arabs see that any progress in the relationship with the West requires finding a just solution for the Palestinian Question which guarantees for the Palestinian people its legitimate rights.

It is inevitable to point out that the world of today which is globalized by its technology and its means has made the distances near. He emphasizes the importance of being experienced in dialogue instead of taking a shelter behind dialogue. However, without crystallizing a comprehensive vision for the Arab security, dialogue remains a tax paid by the ruling elites without popular participation and conviction in it.

Dr. Alexander Scott, an associate professor of Islam and the director of the Catholic – Islamic Studies at the Catholic Theological Union University in Chicago, gave an interposition entitled “Islamophobia in the United States at the Present Time.” He specially focused on the following points: Islamophobia: blind fanaticism among persons or a systematic racism? Islamophobia and the government of the United States; the contributions of Christianity, Judaism and the neo-conservatives in Islamophobia in the United States; Islamophobia in the American mass media, and Islamophobia and the internal attack on the present president Barack Hussein Obama.

Father Dr. Rafiq Khoury and Dr. Hamzeh Theeb participated in the second session of the third day and it was entitled “The Role of Religious Thought in Building Confidence between the Arab and Muslim World and the West.” In his interposition Father Dr. Rafiq limited himself to positing a model for this religious thought which is the third letter of the Catholic Patriarchs of the East entitled “Together Before God for the sake of Man and Society: Shared Living Between Muslims and Christians in the Arab World.” The Catholic Patriarchs in this letter mention that the Arab – Islamic memory and the Western memory are replete with negative aspects left for it by history. However, despite this, the letter also mentions periods which were not devoid of creative civilization interaction in the Middle Ages and their aftermath; the letter emphasizes that “this should be revived and be focused upon (today) and activating it to take its role as one of the references for dialogue and positive meeting today.” Father Rafiq ended his interposition by saying: “Our shared living is in the heart of our standing before God. So let us together stand before him and search for what He wants for our society and through it for the whole of humankind.” The road towards man passes through the heart of God. If we take this road we shall follow after our brothers in humanity with clear and pure hearts… God is omnipotent.

In his interposition, Dr. Hamzeh Theeb emphasized that Islam has no problem in being open on the other in the cultural aspect. He gave examples of this such as translating the book Kaleela wa Dimna, translating Greek sciences including philosophy, medicine and other sciences into Arabic and making benefit from them by the Muslims. He also mentioned the openness and cooperation of the Muslims with others in the creed aspect such as dialogue, non-coercion in religion and shared living etc… Dr. Hamzeh also said that Islam is open on others and that the Islamic culture is based on thinking well of the other and that the accusation may not be confirmed or to think badly of the other. He said that Islam does not judge people without irrefutable evidence.

The last session was entitled “How Confidence is built between the Arabs and the West.” Professor Thiab Ayyoush and Dr. Willy Rellecke from Germany participated in this session. In his interposition, Dr. Ayyoush emphasized that building confidence needs a dialogue based on objective bases after the relationship between the East and the West had gone through serious setbacks since pre-Islam and after it throughout tens of centuries. The lecturer said that his lecture forms an attempt to penetrate the roots, to diagnose the historical relationship and the present one and to discover the factors, the possibilities and the horizons which he believes that they guarantee building confidence and reinforce dialogue. Dr. Ayyoush pointed out to the base of the successful dialogue which lays the foundations for building confidence such as good intention, accepting the other party, considering the call for dialogue a combined Islamic Arab and Western call at the same time, that the dialogue is not a means for religious propaganda and a kind of courtesy, and that it is just and is based on mutual understanding. At the end of his interposition, the lecturer posited four important questions which present the impediments of building confidence and its incentives from the Arab and Islamic point of view on the one hand, and from the Western point of view on the other.

Dr. Willy Rellecke focused in his interposition on the role of mass media in the relationship between the West and the Arabs especially with the Muslims. He blamed Muslim and Arab officials for not explaining Islam and presenting it as it is instead of disfiguring it by many media people and politicians. On the other hand, Dr. Willy stressed that in Germany alone there are about 480 organizations which work for the sake of the Palestinians and helping them. This is in addition to thousands of institutions in the European countries which support the just Palestinian Question which cannot be solved by resorting to violence, rather by dialogue and understanding. He also pointed out to the role of the European Union and its help for the Palestinians. He also emphasized the existence of real friends of the Palestinians in Germany and in Europe. It is wrong to over generalize and to accuse Europe of supporting Israel and standing against the Arabs or the Palestinians. Overgeneralization in accusations is ignorance and it does not contribute in building confidence. Knowing the truth is the only way for building confidence and working together for sake of justice and peace.

At the end of the lectures and sessions, Dr. Geries Sa’ed Khoury summarized the days of the conference. He thanked the members of Al-Liqa’ Board of Trustees for the effort they made in preparing the conference program and contacting the lecturers. He also thanked the employees in the Center and the volunteer workers during the days of the conference for their help. He also gave special thanks to the audience, the lecturers, the session moderators, and the foreign guests for their contributions in making the conference successful whether through the valuable lectures or discussion and interpretations which were objective, frank and sometimes critical. All accepted these lectures, discussion and interpositions in a good spirit which indicates the wonderful academic level which characterized the conference. Before reading the concluding statement, the student Jwana Matter read verses from the poem of the poet Mahmoud Darweesh “Record that I am an Arab,” and this was on the occasion of the first anniversary of his death.

The concluding statement which was prepared by a member of the Board of Trustees members was the superb conclusion for the conference days. The following is mentioned in it:

Al-Liqa’ Center for Religious and Heritage Studies in the Holy Land held its Twenty-First Session in the series of the annual conferences in the period from 13 August to 15 August 2009 at the Jacir (Intercontinental) Hotel in the city of Bethlehem, under the title:

Building Confidence between the Arab and Muslim World and the West: Past Experiences and Future Horizons

A large number scientist, thinkers, intellectuals, historians and clergymen from all parts of Palestine, some European countries and the United States of America attended the conference. They discussed a number of lectures related to the civilizational, social and political competition between the Arabs and the West since the most ancient ages. These lectures were spread over the historical epochs starting from the era preceding Islam and passing by the successive Islamic epochs which begin with the first period of the life of the call to Islam until the end of Al-Rashidoun epoch, then the Umayyad period, followed by the Abbasid period, then the Ottoman period, with stopping at the Andalusian period. The lectures ended with an abundant discussion of the role of the religious thought in building confidence between the two worlds mentioned above (the Arab and the Western worlds), and the lectures concluded with how to build this confidence. The conferees reached several conclusions which can be summarized in the following:

1. The relationships were and still are fluctuating between ebb and tide.
2. There should be concentration on the positive aspects of these relationships and avoiding the negative aspects.
3. These relationships should be in two directions: giving and taking.
4. God created people to be peoples and tribes in order to know each other and to cooperate and not to fight and struggle.
5. Working to mobilize a rational Arab public opinion which addresses in a good way the world concerning our just Palestinian Question.
6. Setting out from the concept of shared interests which govern international relations in order to mobilize international support for our Question.
7. Activating the role of Arab and Islamic communities in the world and also the embassies, consulates and mass media in the foreign countries by continuous communication by the many available means.

The participants in the Conference also demanded that all Palestinian factions and parties exert all efforts for the sake of a constructive dialogue. They stressed the necessity and importance of the unity of the Palestinian homeland and the unity of the children of our Palestinian people in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Diaspora in order to attain the sough goal which is the desire of every Palestinian even if the means for attaining it are different. This goal is the establishing of our independent Palestinian state and its capital noble Jerusalem.

Conference Program:

First Day: Thursday 13 August 2009

Second Day: Friday 14 August 2009

Third Day: Saturday 15 August 2009