Dr. Geries S. Khoury focused on his lecture to a group of Christian young people at Sabeel Center on repercussion of what is taking place in the Arab countries… suppression and killings on shared living. Dr. Khoury stressed the importance on knowing the component of Arab Christian identity and the role of Christians and Muslims in crystalizing the foundation of Arab history and in building the foundation of Arab civilization and shared living even though there were dark pages in this history. Dr. Geries wished that Muslim Caliphs and rulers would have followed the path which Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab had put forth. Dr. Khoury focused on Omar’s Covenant and Jerusalem Patriarch Sophronius and their great leadership.
The lecturer stressed the shortcoming of the educational curricula and its inability to emphasize national unity and shared living. In history books as well as in Arabic language and religious education books we do not see a place of Arab Christian and his role in Arab history, past and present.
Dr. Geries also focused on our ignorance of each other. Very often we judge others and other religions traditions by speculations. We have to overcome this serious problem by learning to know the “other’s” dogma and heritage and never to generalize about a word here and a word there that is coming from Christian and Muslims on Christianity and Islam. All Muslim and Christian generalization is bad on both the one who use it often and on the one who is used against.
Dr. Khoury added that we need to hold a tight link with our Christian faith and to live our faith in real life daily. Faith reinforces our love and respect of others. Otherwise, we are not different from those who hate and oppress.
A question and an answer followed as well as words of thanks from Rev. Dr. Na’im ‘Atiq. This program was concluded with the Lord’s Prayer.
