The Centre for Christian Muslim Understanding and Partnership, an initiative of the Diocese of Egypt has held its second flagship Conference “A Journey of Learning,” at All Saints Cathedral in Cairo.
The conference aimed to promote the values of peace-building, freedom of expression, inclusion, and tolerance to diversity, effectively combating extremism and fundamentalism. It is believed that this kind of conference is unprecedented in Egypt. CCMUP strongly believes that the values of peace-building, dialogue and tolerance to diversity are essential to help Egyptian society become more prosperous, peaceful, stable and secure. The Anglican Centre partnered with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Coptic Catholic Church, the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies, and the Centre for Arab-West Understanding for this the second in a series of groundbreaking meetings.
The conference’s participants came from different faith and socioeconomic backgrounds, including: Islamic preachers and students of Islamic doctrine at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, as well as students of theology and priests from different Christian denominations. The conference’s primary objective was to encourage different religious leaders to learn about each other from each other in a safe and democratic environment that encourages healthy discussions and freedom of expression, instead of the traditional culture of aggressively debating or criticizing or excluding, in a attempt to violently convert the “other”.
Archbishop Dr. Samy Fawzy, Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Alexandria, opened the conference with a speech highlighting the critical importance of interfaith work as a key to advancing mutual understanding and the building of peace bridges between one another.
Archbishop-Emeritus Dr. Mouneer Anis, CCMUP Director, welcomed the participants, emphasizing the main objectives of this conference. He reminded the participants that
being tolerant does not mean compromising or losing one’s faith, but rather; acknowledging our commonalities and differences while treating each other with decency, respect and love.
Completed feedback forms confirmed that the objectives had been met. Many participants expressed their profound desire for this Journey of Learning to be repeated many times, as long-term project, especially in remote rural areas of Upper Egypt, where sectarian violence is rife, to build genuine, just and sustainable peace.
More information about the conference can be found at: https://www.ccmup.org/en/a-journey-of-learning/.