DICID Organizes and Facilitates in Beirut a Symposium “Religious and Ethnic Diversity in the Arab World, Richness or Disintegration Factor?”

06 Apr DICID Organizes and Facilitates in Beirut a Symposium “Religious and Ethnic Diversity in the Arab World, Richness or Disintegration Factor?”

The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue in collaboration with the Syriac League of Lebanon have organized and will facilitate a symposium titled “Religious and Ethnic Diversity in the Arab world, Richness or Disintegration Factor?” which is to be held April 8-9, 2009 in Beirut, Lebanon.

The symposium program will be, as follows:

Day 1, Wednesday, April 8, 2009

9:30am
Registration

10:00am
Introductory Words
– Mr. Habib Afram – Syriac League in Lebanon
– Dr Ibrahim Al-Naimi – Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue

10:45-11:00am
Break

11:00am

First Session
Is there really a religious or sectarian conflict?
Chaired by Dr. Joseph Tarabay, President of the Maronite League in Lebanon
– D. Mohammad Sammak, Secretary General of the Committee for Islamic-Christian Dialogue in Lebanon
– Prof. Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of political council of Hezbollah
– Dr. Kassabi Zalat, a representative of Al-Azhar University in Egypt

1:15pm
Lunch

4:00pm

Second Session
– Eastern Christendom and the future role and the Western influence
Chaired by Dr. Hassan Al-Sayed, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Qatar University
– Eddeh Michel, a former minister
– Tareq Mitri, Lebanese Minister of Information
– Father Nabil Haddad, the Jordanian Center for Research on coexistence
– Concierge Shihab, Secretary-General of the National Islamic Christian Dialogue

Day 2 – Thursday, April 9, 2009

10:00am

Third Session
– Nationalities in the ME region
Chaired by Bishop George Saliba, Archbishop of Mount Lebanon and Tripoli
– Dr. Yusuf Al-Siddiq, Executive Director of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue
– Dr. Jirjes Saleh, Secretary General of the Council of the Churches of the Middle East
– Dr. Iqbal Al-Gharbi, Director, Center for pedagogical innovation, Tunisia
– Bishop Chegam Kacherean, the Armenian community in Lebanon

11:30-11:45am Coffee Break and lunch

4:00pm

Fourth Session
– The ways of the proposed solutions to diversity?
Chaired by Dr. Khalid Al- Khater, Dean of Academic Affairs, Ahmed bin Mohammed College in Qatar
– Paulus Matar, Maronite Bishop of Beirut
– Tamam Salam, Minister of Culture of Lebanon
– D. Yusuf Hassan, Ambassador, the Director-General of Emirates Diplomat Institute
– D. Aisha Al-Mannai, Dean of the Faculty of Shariah at Qatar University