Ekklesia (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk)
(1) Holocaust Memorial Day marked across Britain, 28 January 2012
by staff writers
Hundreds of events to mark Holocaust Memorial Day took place as part of the worldwide commemoration on Friday 27 January, with more services and ceremonies as part of religious events happening this weekend.
Civic groups, faith communities, local authorities, NGOs, human rights organisations, trades unions, LGBT groups, Jewish bodies and organisations highlighting the plight of discriminated against peoples - including travelling and Roma people - have all been involved.
HMD is held on the 27 January every year - on the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, where 1.6 million men, women and children were killed.
The day aims to remind people of the crimes, racism and loss of life during the Holocaust in World War II and prevent it ever being forgotten or repeated, as well as remembering more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur and earlier ones such as Armenia. It has been held annually in the UK since 2001.
The Trades Union Congress and civil rights groups used the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day to call for an end to discrimination and prejudice that lie at the roots of violence against and between peoples.
Alongside the six million Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, hundreds of thousands of others were targeted by Hitler's regime - including union members, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people (LGBT), disabled people, and people attacked simply for their ethnic background like Poles and Gypsies.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Unions have always stood up to the kind of discrimination, prejudice and hatred that led to the Nazi Holocaust."
He added: "LGBT people were among the millions of victims of Hitler's brutal regime, and today LGBT communities are a vital part of the resistance to modern versions of this hatred."
・ Full details of Holocaust Memorial Day in Britain: http://hmd.org.uk/
(2) Religious leaders reflect on Christian presence across the Arab world, 28 January 2012
by agency reporter
World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has reaffirmed churches’ commitment to justice and peace in the Middle East.
In so doing, he stressed the importance of a common vision for living together by Christians and Muslims in the Arab world.
Dr Tveit was speaking at the Christian-Muslim consultation on 'Christian Presence and Witness in the Arab World' organised by the WCC programmes for Churches in the Middle East and Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation in collaboration with the Middle East Council of Churches.
The consultation is currently taking place from 24-28 January at the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, bringing together youth, scholars and Christian and Muslim leaders for a frank and dynamic discussion.
Dr Tveit said the Middle East is of special interest for the WCC, and articulated the historic significance of Christian presence in the Arab world, where he believes faith plays a major role, reflecting on the declaration of the WCC’s Central Committee meeting of February 2011: “Our living faith has its roots in this region and is nourished and nurtured by the unbroken witness of the local churches, who have their own roots from the apostolic times.”
“Without this Christian presence, the conviviality among peoples from different faiths, cultures, and civilisations, which is a sign of God’s love for all humanity, will be endangered,” contiued Dr Tveit.
The WCC leader appreciated the participation of a range of Muslims in the consultation, who he says, have emphasised their commitment to strengthen the Christian presence in the Middle East. He said that it is through their action for the common good that people in the Arab world can accomplish peace, justice, freedom and harmony.
“We will certainly want to make clear to our wider constituency, the WCC’s extensive experience over many years of how Christians and Muslims continue to work together constructively for the common good,” he said.
Dr Tveit also pointed out the challenges faced by the Christians in the Arab world, and the sense of insecurity they feel, due to political divides and persistent conflicts.
The WCC has addressed over a number of years the issue of emigration of Christians from the region resulting from the occupation and war in Iraq and the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
He added: “We know that the changes in the Arab world over the last year – and changes still to come – have also left many Christians, along with many Muslims, feeling uncertain and even afraid for their future."
Highlighting the efforts of churches struggling for justice and peace in Israel and Palestine, Dr Tveit said that the situation is of great concern for Christians in Jerusalem, as well as people of other faiths.
・ More comment and video links on this event here: Christian local voice challenges the transformations in the Arab World - http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16178
(3) Christian local voice challenges the transformations in the Arab World, 29 January 2012
by Harry Hagopian
A Christian-Muslim consultation on the Christian presence and witness in the Middle East took place at the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, from 24-28 January 2012.
The consultation dealt with issues and challenges facing the Christian communities at this critical juncture in the history of the Arab World. It also explored the effective ways and means of deepening Christian-Muslim coexistence and collaboration as partners in building democratic societies. A general report appeared on Ekklesia here: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16166
The consultation was organised by the Geneva-based World Council of Churches in collaboration with the Beirut-based Middle East Council of Churches. More than fifty persons, comprising Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders, intellectuals and actors of civil society took part in this event. A number of ecumenical partners from Europe and the USA also attended it in order to discuss the imperatives of Christian-Muslim dialogue in this volatile and uncertain part of the world (often known as the Middle East and North Africa) and to affirm the need for a deeper sense of engagement between the two faiths.
At the opening session, His Holiness Aram I spoke powerfully about the realities of Christians in the region as well as the way forward for communities of faith. In challenging and contextual remarks, he affirmed that “the Christian communities in the Arab World must engage in dialogue with all trends of Islam which advocate democracy, coexistence and non-violence”
Also attending the consultation were the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC General Secretary, Dr Mohammad Sammak, General Secretary of the Christian-Muslim Dialogue Committee, Dr Paul Rouhanna, MECC General Secretary and HB Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah of the Latin-rite Catholic Church. In his own intervention, the WCC General Secretary reaffirmed churches’ commitment to justice and peace in the Middle East, while stressing the importance of a common vision for living together by Christians and Muslims in the Arab world.
The two You-Tube links here represent together the 16-minute opening presentation by HH Aram I that drew the roadmap for the future of the conference - and in one sense perhaps the region too.
・http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWlVpyTI66Y&feature=uploademail
・http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygQ6U2nr7Dw&feature=uploademail
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© Harry Hagopian is an international lawyer, ecumenist and EU political consultant. He also acts as a Middle East and inter-faith advisor to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales and as Middle East consultant to ACEP (Christians in Politics) in Paris. He is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/HarryHagopian). Formerly an Executive Secretary of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Committee and Executive Director of the Middle East Council of Churches, he is now an international fellow, Sorbonne III University, Paris, consultant to the Campaign for Recognition of the Armenian Genocide (UK) and author of The Armenian Church in the Holy Land. Dr Hagopian’s own website is www.epektasis.net
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