AMMAN — HRH Prince El Hassan, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies, on Thursday presided over the closing ceremony of the conference titled “Christians in the Arab Levant: Aspirations for Unity and Enlightenment”.

 

The event was attended by prominent Christian religious leaders from the region, as well as a distinguished group of Muslim and Christian intellectuals, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

In his address outlining the conference's recommendations, Prince El Hassan emphasised the importance of renewing the discourse, spirit and values of the Arab Renaissance in the Mashriq.

 

He stressed the need to build a regional model and mindset rooted in dialogue and stability as a foundation for continuity.

 

Prince El Hassan also underscored the importance of establishing a platform for dialogue and communication in the region to reach a shared and creative common ground.

 

He noted that enlightenment and unity in the Mashreq require collective will and the development of a roadmap for elite and grassroots meetings that focus on communication and bridging divides.

 

At the conclusion of the conference, and based on the discussions and interventions that followed, participants condemned the ongoing killing of innocent civilians and the systematic destruction of hospitals, schools, universities, and places of worship in Gaza and the West Bank.

 

They stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire and for providing support to the Palestinian people.

 

Participants also condemned the attacks on the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, which, they said, hold deep spiritual significance for believers across the Arab Mashriq and the world.

 

The final session of the conference highlighted key recommendations, foremost among them the importance of building on Islamic documents issued by Al Azhar Al Sharif to strengthen Muslim-Christian relations, and advancing the Document on Human Fraternity initiated by His Holiness Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al Azhar Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb.

 

The conference also recommended the promotion of values of dialogue and altruism in national educational initiatives by reformulating school and university curricula, and enhancing interfaith understanding through human dialogue among followers of different religions.

 

Recommendations concluded with a call to unify efforts in promoting citizenship rights and the values of diversity, pluralism and acceptance of difference. They also stressed the need to strengthen the presence of all people of the Mashriq and reaffirm that their destinies are intertwined, thereby bolstering Christian and Muslim resilience in the region and reinforcing their attachment to their homelands.

 

The conference called for viewing the Arab Mashriq’s diversity as a blessing rather than a burden, urging all countries in the region to enact legislation that improves the management of this diversity, and to work towards developing a Parliament of Cultures that reflects the voice of the people and safeguards the right to life and the rights of future generations.