The Middle East Council of Churches Participates in the Eighth Annual Conference of Imam Hussein, Peace Be Upon Him

“Renaissance of Reform for the Sake of Human, from the Prophets (PBUT) to Imam Hussein (PBUH)”

At the invitation of President of the Jaafari Cultural Foundation for Research, Islamic Studies and Interfaith Dialogue Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Al-Hajj, the Eighth Annual Conference of Imam Hussein, Peace Be Upon Him, was held under the title “Renaissance of Reform for the Sake of Human, from the Prophets (PBUT) to Imam Hussein (PBUH) - Human Values ​​Bring Us Together,” on Tuesday 19 September 2023. The conference stresses, according to its statement, that “there is no choice but cooperation and dialogue in order to build a state of citizenship and defend human dignity... Religious and humanitarian values ​​unite us regardless our differences in political or partisan opinions and positions.”

Attendees were the Representative of Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze Sect Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, the Representative of His Eminence Bishop Issam Darwish, Archimandrite Nicolas Saghbini, the Coordinator of the Safety Network for Civil Peace Lawyer Omar Zein, the representative of the Middle East Council of Churches Professor Laure Abi Khalil, Coordinator of the MECC Social Capital Rehabilitation Project, alongside intellectual, scientific and political personalities.

The conference included two segments with the participation of speakers from various fields. The first segment was entitled “The renaissance of Imam Hussein, Peace Be Upon Him, and its Impact on the Reality.” The second segment revolved around “The humanitarian Goal of Societies in the Renaissance of Imam Hussein, Peace Be Upon Him,” with several interventions, including an intervention by Professor Laure Abi Khalil.

In her speech, Professor Abi Khalil spoke about “Reform and Imam Hussein,” in which she talked about the most prominent historical events in the life of Imam Hussein, in addition to his most important point of views, especially in Reformism. She also highlighted today's reality, as it concluded by indicating that reform can provide a climate for transition towards change, which requires time.

You can click here to check the full speech of Professor Laure Abi Khalil, in Arabic.