Christians, Violence, and the Middle East

About the event:

‘Christians, Violence, and the Middle East’ is the Danube Institute’s second conference to be held in relation to the ongoing research project titled ‘Violence Against Christian Communities and Institutions’. This conference will be composed of three panels that are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of violence as experienced by, or directed toward, Christian communities and institutions in the Middle East. The conference will feature a keynote speech from Tristan Azbej State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and the Hungary Helps Program, panel appearances from members of the Danube Institute, as well as our partner organizations such as ICESCO, and finally both secular and ecclesiastical institutions based in the Middle East, such as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate for Antioch and the Jordan-based Catholic Center for Studies and Media. The closing remarks will be held by Julianna Taimoorazy, founder and president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

Program:

9.30 – 10.00 REGISTRATION

10.00 – 10.20 WELCOME
-John O’Sullivan, CBE, President, Danube Institute 
-István Kiss, Executive Director, Danube Institute
-Prof. Jeffrey Kaplan, Senior Distinguished Fellow, Danube Institute

10.20 – 10.45 KEYNOTE
-Tristan Azbej, State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians

10.45 – 12.15 FIRST PANEL – GOVERNMENTS AND NGOs
-Stephen M. Rasche, Senior Fellow, International Religious Freedom in Conflict Regions
The International Response to Christian Persecution: Successes and Failures from the front lines
-Dr. El Mostafa Rezrazi, Executive Director, Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence; Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South
Para Religious factors of intolerance and violence
-Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Director, Center for Civilizational Dialogue, ICESCO Role of ICESCO in countering radicalization and violence
-Péter Kovács-Pifka, Director General, Hungary Helps Agency
Inter-religious Coexistence in the Middle East

12.15 – 13.30 LUNCH BREAK

13.30 – 15.15 SECOND PANEL – RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
-Prof. Yaakov Ariel, Professor, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Suspected Friends: Embraces and Violence in Evangelical-Israeli Relations
-Prof. Jeffrey Kaplan, Senior Distinguished Fellow, Danube Institute
Attacks on Christian communities and institutions; a project 
-Dr. Kristian Patrick Alexander, Senior Fellow and Director, International Security & Terrorism Program, TRENDS
Tolerance, co-existence and the politics of multiculturalism in confronting religious violence: The case of the UAE 
-Dr. Anthony Celso, Associate Professor, Angelo State University
The Jihadi War against Christians: Ideology and Practice

15.15 – 15.30 COFFEE BREAK

15.30 – 17.10 THIRD PANEL – CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
-Tomah Ejbara, Regional Manager of Hungary Helps for Middle East
Hungary helps’ mission of love
-Father Rif’at Bader, Director and Editor in Chief, Jordan-based Catholic Center for Studies & Media
10 years after the Apostolic Exhortation of Benedict XVI: Christians in the East, how do we look to their future? 
-Father Benedict Kiely, Founder and Director, Nasarean.org
Why the West Needs the Martyrs 
-Katalin Pethő-Kiss, Senior Fellow, Global Peace Institute Attacks on Churches in the Middle East
-Sara Savva, Deputy Director General, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development
The Mother Church: Rooting Christians in the Middle East

17.10 – 17.40 CLOSING REMARKS
-Juliana Taimoorazy, Founder and President, Iraqi Christian Relief Council, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize nominee

Participation in the event is free, but registration is required!