The
Imam and the Pastor in Arabic Launched in Egypt
A
young man asks
a question to Imam Ashafa and Pastor James at El Sawy Cultural Centre
on 5 June, 2009. (Photo: Lubna)
A
new beginning
and a message of forgiveness and reconciliation
A
series of
significant screenings and debates took place in Egypt,
27 May – 5 June, to mark the launch in the country of the Arabic
version of the award-winning documentary film The Imam and the
Pastor.
The launch coincided with President Barack Obama’s visit to Egypt and
his historic keynote speech at Cairo University on the relationship
between the United States and the Muslim World. Imad Karam, who works
with For
the Love of Tomorrow films in the UK, and
his wife Amira, report.
The
Bibliotheca Alexandrina Library (the oldest
library in the world in Egypt’s second city, Alexandria) hosted the
first screening on the 27th of May in the presence of the film’s
protagonists, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa, and
Co-Producer Dr Imad Karam. This city has special significance for
Pastor James and Imam Ashafa; it was here that “The Alexandria
Declaration”
originated, which was later adapted by them to form
the historic Kaduna Peace Declaration.
The
event at the Bibliotheca was hosted by
Moral-Rearmament Association-Egypt, the Institute for Peace Studies,
the Arab Society for Reform and the Arab Dialogue Forum, and was
followed by in-depth discussion with the 100 or so in the audience,
many of whom are practitioners or specialists in the fields of peace
studies and reconciliation.
Meeting
with Father Basilius and Father Johnna Al-Makari at St Macarius
Monastery.
Far
right: Muslim scholar Ahmed Al-Saeh. (Photo: Imad Karam)
Other
key meetings while in Alexandria included
meeting with the Alexandria Intercultural Dialogue Committee
(previously known as the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Group) who shared
their achievements, hopes and challenges as a multi-faith group in
Egypt . The group invited Imam Ashafa and Pastor James to come back to
Alexandria to deliver training to local leaders in peace building and
reconciliation.
The
team travelled on to Cairo. On the way, and in the middle of the
desert, they paid a visit to the Monastery of St Macarius and had a
couple of hours meeting with the two most senior monks, Father Basilius
and Father Johnna Al-Makari.
Audience
at Cairo University watching the Arabic version of
‘The Imam and
the Pastor’on 1 June, 2009 (Photo: Imad Karam)
In
Cairo, the first public screening of the film was organized by the Program for
Civilization Studies and
Dialogue of Cultures at Cairo
University. The event, on June 1 was attended by
local religious leaders, interfaith practitioners, the media, academics
and students.
The
following day, a high profile screening took
place at the American University of Cairo. The Oriental Hall, which
holds 300 people, was so packed that some people had to watch from
outside the hall’s door.
On
the panel were Archbishop Michael Fiztgerald,
Papal Nuncio to Egypt and the Arab
League,; Adel Imam, one of the most
popular actors in the Arab world and UN Goodwill Ambassador for
refugees; Aly Elsamman, President of Egypt’s Interfaith Committee, Higher
Islamic Council; and Dr Laila Tekla, President of the
International Affairs Committee and the National Council for Human
Rights.
Imam
Ashafa, Pastor James and Dr Karam show their certificate
of
appreciation from the American University of Cairo on 2 June, 2009
The
audience included members of parliament, former
cabinet ministers, religious leaders, interfaith and peace advocates,
the media, academics and members of the general public.
Following
the questions and answers session, the
Vice-Chancellor of the University gave an award from the university to
the three guest speakers in acknowledgment for their peace work
initiatives. The audience were then invited to a cultural evening and
reception that allowed time for further interaction with the guests.
The
next day, the group visited Ezbit Al-Hagana, a
local project to help young people from the slums to have better
education and housing. They also visited the Palestine Hospital,
meeting Palestinians who were injured during the recent Israeli
offensive on Gaza.
Imam
Ashafa, Pastor James and the organizers with the children and young
people at Ezbit
Al-Hagana
local project on 1 June, 2009. (Photo: Amira
Karam)
Imam
Ashafa, Pastor
James, and Dr Karam also had
meetings with the President of Al-Azhar University and senior
researchers at the Islamic Research Center, and were received by imams
at the several mosques they visited.
The
group was invited by Dr. Cornelis Hulsman,
Director of the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation and
Editor-in-Chief of Arab West Report
to visit and meet with the team of the Arab West Understanding. The
group listened to a presentation by one of team about the
Muslim-Christian violence relating to a dispute over land rights at the
Abu Fana Monastery in 2008, which they had been documenting. This was
followed by questions directed to Ashafa and James about practical
steps to conflict resolution.
Screenings
of the film were hosted at the CultNat in
the Smart Village (Egypt's premier model of Public-Private-Partnership)
and at the Greater Cairo Library in collaboration with MRA Egypt.
The
final screening took place on Friday June 5 at Saqiat El Sawy, a youth
cultural centre. The event,
which was co-organized by Moral-Rearmament
Association-Egypt and
El Sawy Center, was sponsored by four local
businesses. The 250-seat hall was filled with young and old people
alike. Emphasizing the power of forgiveness, and that that differences
of opinion can be a source of hope and strength, Imam Ashafa and Pastor
James engaged in lively question and answer with
their audience.
Imad
Karam interviewed by Ana TV at El Sawy Cultural
Centre, 5 June, 2009
(Photo: Lubna)
Media
coverage during the visit included a live
interview by one of Egypt’s most watched prime-time talk shows:
Al-Hayyah Al-Yawm. The show included a screening of clips of the film.
There was also TV coverage of some of the screenings by Orbit TV, OTV
and Ana TV. The news of the visit was featured in most of Egypt’s
dailies, including Al-Ahram daily, Al-Shorouk, Al-Wafd, Islam online,
Rose al-Youssef, Egypt Today and several other online publications.
Egypt,
the largest Arab country in terms of
population, has had a long history of peaceful coexistence between
Muslim and Christians; however, there have been some tensions over the
last two decades which have not been addressed and which have
sporadically erupted in violence.
Aware
of the sensitivities in the Muslim-Christian
relations debate, Imam Ashafa and Pastor James adopted a humble
approach to communicate their message. At the different screenings,
they shared with their audience that they were carrying a message of
forgiveness and reconciliation. They recognized that Egypt was a cradle
of civilization and a connecting point of cultures; they emphasized
that they were in Egypt to learn about the Egyptian experience of
coexistence and to share their own. They said that their visit was ‘a
catalyst for a greater Egyptian Nigerian peace collaboration’ and that
‘Egypt could offer a helping hand to the other African nations and
beyond’.
Their
Egyptian audiences responded positively,
acknowledging pride in the Egyptian model of coexistence, while also
recognizing that there is a need to engage grass-roots people in
dialogue, and to enhance capacity in existing structures on
intercultural dialogue.
See also
launch of Arabic version of Imam and Pastor in Lebanon