Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 1987, page 15

Religion and the Middle East

By Rev. L. Humphrey Walz, D.D.

Presbyterians Extend Middle East Peacemaking Emphasis

The Presbyterian (USA) General Assembly, which had set aside 1985 and 1986 for a concentrated study of Middle East peacemaking, recently decided to extend that emphasis for another two years.

"News of the Middle East frequently focuses on the latest incident of violence, but provides little understanding of the contemporary conflicts or of the hopes and fears of the people of the region," the General Assembly said.

"As events in Lebanon should have taught us, we need to know more about the people of the Middle East: the Israelis and Arabs; Christians, Jews, and Muslims; and the goals and internal dynamics of their societies. For our own sake as well as for the people of the region, we need to look more critically at the role of the United States in Middle East conflicts and its possible constructive role for peace."

Catholic News East Welfare Association

In covering New York Archbishop John Cardinal O'Connor's recent trip to the Middle East, the media generally overlooked the primary goal of the Archbishop's trip: as President of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), he traveled to the Middle East to gain fresh, first-hand familiarity with some of that organizations's extensive and varied programs. Its schools, for example, have educated over 65,000 children, and its orphanages, homes for the aged, model farms, refugee services, chapels and churches in the area have helped build stability, hope and self-worth beyond statistical measurement. I have visited enough of these establishments in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, Cyprus, and Egypt to cheer whatever the Cardinal or anyone else can do for their benefit. I can only assume that their work in Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey is just as needed and as sensitively administered. Further information on these and other programs can be obtained from CNEWA, 1011 First Ave., New York, NY 10022.

Muslim-Christian Conference

A week-long conference of Muslims and Christians, starting June 24, will discuss "Faith and Justice in a Pluralistic Society" at Techny Towers Conference Center, 2001 Waukegan Road, Techny, Illinois (north suburban Chicago).

Confirmed speakers include faculty members from the Hartford (CT)Seminary, Union Seminary of New York, the Universities of Chicago and Massachusetts, the East-West University in Chicago, and the Co-Directors of the National Council of Churches' Office of Christian-Muslim Relations. Topics to be covered include: "Objectivity vs. Subjectivity in Muslim-Christian Relations," "Norms for Justice," "Pluralism and Divine Revelation," and "Muslim-Christian Cooperation: Ideals and Realities."

To register or get more information, write to the NCC Office on Christian-Muslim Relations, Duncan Black MacDonald Center, 77 Sherman Street, Hartford, CT 06105.

The Rev. L. Humphrey Walz, D.D., retired Associate Executive of the Presbyterian Synod of the Northeast, is active in Christian-Jewish and Christian-Muslim dialogues.