Dear Archbishop

A letter from the Right Revd Riah Abu El Assal, the retired Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, and member of our Peacemaker Board of Reference, to Archbishop Justin Welby. As Bishop Riah did not receive a reply he has made the letter public.

Together We Rise

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‘Together We Rise’ is a beautiful, captivating little children’s book, creatively retelling of the Easter story from creation to resurrection. The author, Paul Raushenbush writes,

“I lamented, as Holy Week rapidly arrived, that I didn’t have a children’s story of Jesus that reflected my beliefs that I could share with my two sons and their young minds, hearts and spirits. So I boiled down two thousand years of theology and almost three decades of ministry to the words you are about to read.“

Download the press release with further commendations.

A Christian Perspective on the Life and Teaching of Imam Ali al-Raza 

A paper delivered at a conference organised by Astan Razavi in conjunction with the University of Tehran and Sharif University of Technology entitled, “Civilisational Thoughts of Imam Raza (peace be upon him): Justice for all and injustice for no one.” (download a copy here)

In this short presentation I will be reflecting on the life and teaching of Imam Ali al-Raza as summarised in the Razavi Codes of Ethics,[1] comparing and contrasting them with ethical instructions taught by Jesus Christ found in the four Gospels of the New Testament.  Given that those participating will likely already be familiar with the example and teaching of Imam Raza, I will elaborate more on the teaching of Jesus to illustrate similarities and differences, recognising that Imam Raza, living many centuries after the New Testament was written, may well have been influenced by it, consciously or otherwise. 

This will not however, be an exhaustive or comprehensive analysis of Islamic and Christian ethical codes, but rather a comparison of some of the 13 examples contained in the Razavi Codes of Ethics with similar statements found in the teaching of Jesus. 

However, I am not a specialist in Islamic studies, or indeed of comparative religion. Nevertheless, I have helped organise, or have contributed to, several international conferences on Christian-Muslim dialogue, for example, with the World Islamic Call Society, Libya (2009), Fuller Theological Seminary, USA (2009); the League of Arab States in Qatar (2012) and Iraq (2013), the New Horizons conference, Iran (2014), and the Institute for Advanced Islamic Studies, Malaysia (2023). 

The Razavi Codes of Ethics, as you probably know, were written to help prepare pilgrims visiting the shrine of Imam Ali Al-Raza in Mashhad. 

“Through studying this book, it is hoped that the dear readers, respected pilgrims, and lovers who bore great pain and suffering for going on a pilgrimage to Imam Raza’s tomb will become more familiar with Imam Raza’s words and manners, will be determined to follow his teachings in their daily life, and make their life more fruitful and prosperous in this world and the world to come.”[2]

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Challenging Apartheid & Religious Extremism

Conference Purpose Statement: 

The Sabeel Liberation Theology Center invites you to our upcoming Challenging Apartheid and Religious Extremism conference to be held 17-21 November in Bethlehem and online.   

A new reality is rising and religious extremism is fanning the flames of intolerance and violence. Gaza lies in rubble with the majority of the ever increasing death toll being children and women. Even the January 6, 2021 riot in Washington, DC, is being reframed as a righteous protest. Numerous religious and theological leaders find themselves grappling with the challenge of responding faithfully and effectively.  

The Sabeel conference will challenge religious extremism and supremacism, as well as apartheid through a scriptural, liberationist approach to theology by ecumenical and interfaith collaboration. The plenaries, workshops and visits will promote faith based, non-violent, peace-making initiatives to assist in the achievement of liberation, justice and peace in Palestine-Israel. 

Webinars: Sabeel has organized five webinars, each at 8pm Jerusalem time, from January to May. These webinars, facilitated by distinguished academics and activists, serve as a prelude to the conference by introducing themes and topics that will be explored in depth in November. Register here

Wednesday 31st January: An Introduction to Religious Extremism

This webinar will introduce religious extremism and outline the November conference.

Wednesday 28th February: Zionism and Antisemitism

How the term antisemitism has been weaponised and an examination of the relationship between Zionism, apartheid, and religious extremism in Judaism. 

Wednesday 27th March: Islam and Islamophobia

Define Islamophobia, challenge stereotypes and prejudice toward Muslims, and examine how Islamophobia has been exploited to silence criticism of Israel.

Wednesday 24th April: Christophobia and the Persecution of Christians

A discussion on the persecution of Christians and how Christian Zionism exacerbates tensions for Palestinian Christians. 

Wednesday 29th May: A Summary on Religious Extremism

A summary of the series and information about the November conference including the schedule and how to maximize your participation.

Register for the Webinars here

Register for the Conference here