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Inter Faith in Action - Perspectives

 

Diocese of Egypt and North Africa with The Horn of Africa

by the Revd Raja Zabaneh, Bishop's Assistant For Interfaith Relations

  • Egypt is a republic with Islam as the state religion. Approximately, 90% of Egyptians are Muslims the rest of the population are Christians.
  • the real number of Christians 2006 World Fact book estimates that they constitute about 7.6 million or 10% of the Egyptian population.

Historical Background of Egypt

  • Christianity entered Egypt in the first half of the first century A.D.
  • In 639 an army of some 4,000 men were sent to Egypt under the command of Amr ibn al-As.
  • When Islam entered Egypt after the defeat of the Romans on the hands of the Arabs, most Egyptians converted to the new  religion while some Egyptians remained Christians When Amr Ibn El Aas, the Arabian army leader, conquered the Romans he assured people that  their lives and belongings will not be touched, they will be safe in their homes
  • The commitment of the Egyptians in early ages with Islam, and the engagement of their history with the Islamic ideology, have strengthened the most powerful tie, and strongest relations between them and their faith. The thing that helped them a lot in their struggle against all the hard challenges.
  • Sustainability of the Interfaith Dialogue  is due to the common identity  of Egyptians.

The Diocese of Egypt and the Interfaith Dialogue

  • Consecutive meetings with the interfaith Committee in the Diocese and the interfaith Committee in Al Azhar, to strengthen the Dialogue Concept not only among leaders and decision makers but also among decisions executives and nationally basis.

Planting the tree of Hope Project

  • A joint project in coordination with the Episcopal Church in Egypt and Al Azhar El Sharif and the Ministry of Education to implement the Dialogue concept through developing the Educational system starting from primary classes passing through the higher classes.
  • The Impact of this project is via competitions between several schools, networking, trips, and Family awareness programs where we find a lack of understanding in this issue and to let the students learn the Culture of dialogue.

Problems Encountering the Interfaith Dialogue

  • Lack of Understanding to Both Religions.
  • Lack of acceptance to Others Beliefs
  • Criticizing without Clarifying

Planning to Demolish these problems

  • Planting the Tree of Hope Project aiming to strengthen in our Children the Dialogue Culture.
  • Advocacy through the Media to promote the culture of Dialogue.
  • Sessions and Seminars to enable Muslims and Christians to learn their beliefs. 

Egypt is Affiliated to all the Arab World

Libya - The concept of the accepting and respecting other beliefs was shown from the leader of the Islamic movement, in donating a Church from the 14th Century to the Anglican Church of Egypt

Publishing Papers of Dialogue

  • Dialogue is the language of Jesus Christ… He used to teach and preach through dialogue and he used the language of dialogue to bring people to the truth.
  • As well who reads the Holy Qur'an will find verses that commend dialogue as a method to solve numerous issues between different parties.
  • By practicing dialogue, we deny a victory to those who would attempt to use religion to divide all humanity.
  • Through interfaith dialogue, we can change the world for the better.

 

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