Symposium 2011:
Christians and the Middle East Conflict
24-26 March 2011
About our Theme:
Over the past few years, increasing scrutiny has been applied to the ways in which Christians and Christianity relate to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The topic relates generally to the various debates about civilizational and cultural interaction and dialogue. More specifically, the influence of Christianity has been discussed in critical texts covering the relationship of the modern Christian Zionist movement with Western attitudes and foreign policies toward the region in both historical and modern dimensions. At the same time there has been an increasing interest in the historic and modern churches of the Middle East, though much of this emphasizes the inexorable decline of the influence of Christians in this part of the world. Do Christians have a role to play in the ongoing conflicts in the region, for good or ill? We have assembled a number of renowned international experts, scholars, and activists to provide their perspectives on these pivotal issues.
Please register online at TWU Impact. A donation of $20 is suggested for the project.
Program of Events
Please note that this is a preliminary program that may be subject to change.
Thursday 24 March 2011
11 AM – TWU Chapel, TWU Gymnasium
Featuring Salim Munayer
7:30 PM – Keynote Lecture, Northwest Auditorium
Peter Makari, “Christians Working for Peace in the Middle East: Efforts and Expectations”
Friday 25 March 2011
10 AM-12:00 PM – Research Panel, Fosmark 130-1
Christians and the Middle East Conflict: Historical Perspectives
Maher Abu-Munshar, Assistant Professor, Islamic History, Qatar University, “Christians’ Reaction to the Muslim Conquest of Jerusalem”
Akiko Sugase, Research Fellow, Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai (Japan), “The Invention of New Coexistence: a case study of the veneration of the prophet Elijah (Mar Ilyas) among the Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Haifa after 1948”
Roberto Mazza, Assistant Professor, Western Illinois University, “Challenges and Responses of Christianity in the Holy Land, 1914-1920”
Todd Thompson, Assistant Professor, Qatar University, “Albert Hourani, Christian Minorities, and the Spiritual Dimension of Britain’s Problem in Palestine, 1938-1947”
1:15-2:15 PM - Presentation and Discussion, Fosmark 130-1
Paul S. Rowe, "In this World you will have Trouble: Christians Living amid Conflict in the Middle East"
2:30-4 PM – Discussion Forum, Graduate Collegium
Q&A with Keynote Lecturers Peter Makari, Salim Munayer, and Gary Burge
7:30 PM – Keynote Lecture, Northwest Auditorium
Salim Munayer, “Reconciliation as a Christian Response to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”
Saturday 26 March
10 AM-12 PM, Research Panel, Fosmark 130-1
Christians and the Middle East Conflict: Contemporary Perspectives
Fiona McCallum, RCUK Fellow in Religion and Politics, University of St. Andrews, “The Loyalty Game: the Christian Hierarchy Dilemma of Responding to Conflict in the Middle East”
Alain Epp Weaver, PhD Candidate, Theology, University of Chicago, “‘If I forget thee, O Palestinian Jerusalem’: Manuel Musallam and the Performance of Palestinian Unity amidst Palestinian Fragmentation"
Mark Daniel Calder, PhD Candidate, University of Aberdeen, “Researching Palestinian Christian Uses of the Bible: Israeli and Israelite violence as a canonical problem?”
Magi Abdul-Masih, Associate Professor, Religious Studies, St. Mary’s University, “Orientalism in Theology”
1:30 PM – Keynote Lecture, Northwest Auditorium
Gary Burge, “The New Testament and Land Theologies”