To help cut through Western fear of Islam and promote dialogue, a group of top Christian and Muslim scholars in Egypt have launched a news service that seeks to counteract misinformation about religious affairs in Arab countries.
The "Religious News Service from the Arab World," sent out weekly to subscribers by e-mail, contains translations of Arabic media stories on religion, reports on current religious issues, and news analysis and commentary from a team of mixed religious advisers.
Recent reports have dealt with a deadly outbreak of Christian-Muslim violence in Egypt, "personal status" laws determining application of Islamic law to Christians, and accusations by Western Coptic organizations that Egyptian Muslims were kidnapping, raping and forcefully converting Christian girls.
"There are no issues that are taboo or too sensitive for us to cover," said Cornelius Hulsman, director of the service.
"Disagreements are OK, but they should be factual -- each side should be presented as it is," said Hulsman, a Dutch academic who has lived in Egypt for nearly two decades.
Islam is often portrayed inaccurately in the West, said Sheik Abdel Mo’ti Bayoumi, dean of the College of Islamic Theology at Cairo’s al-Azhar University and one of the service’s advisers.
"This creates feelings of enmity -- both by Westerners against people in the East, and Easterners against people in the West," he said.
"By helping people see the true reality of Islam, this news service defuses hatred," he said.
Another adviser, Jesuit Father Christiaan van Nispen, professor of Islamic studies at Cairo’s Coptic Catholic seminary, highlighted the value of the service’s translations of Arabic media.
"It’s no less important than the factual information, because it shows how people are feeling and evaluating things -- that explains many attitudes and acts which would be otherwise incomprehensible," he said.
Other advisers include a Coptic Orthodox bishop, a Muslim professor of law 1), the Coptic Orthodox director of an Egyptian human rights organization 2), an Anglican professor of literature, a Muslim opposition politician 3), an Anglican priest and a Muslim media consultant.
As part of the service, the subscribers -- mostly media outlets, universities and Western governments -- are able to directly pose questions to the board of advisers.
Hulsman said future plans for the service, launched in 1998, included launching a searchable, pay-per-article Web site, registering as a nongovernmental organization in Egypt and expanding focus beyond Egypt to other countries in the Middle East.
Editors: For more information on the Religious News Service from the Arab World, contact Cornelius Hulsman at RNSAW@mailandnews.com; telephone and fax 011-202-350-4866 or 011-202-375-3424.
Copyright (c) 2000 Catholic News Service / US Catholic Conference
RNSAW comments:
1) The Muslim professor of Law is Prof. Dr. Mohammed Mighani. He still needs to be introduced in an article to the readers of the RNSAW after which his name will appear in the list of the Board of Advisors.
2) This is Dr. Marilyn Tadros, deputy director of the Legal Research and Resource Center for Human Rights in Cairo,
3) There is no Muslim opposition politician in the Board of Advisors of the RNSAW. This is probably in reference to Mr. Ramzy Zaklama, member of the Supreme Board of the Wafd Party.
