Happy Holidays

Language: 
English
Sent On: 
Mon, 2015-12-21
Year: 
2015
Newsletter Number: 
45

Happy Holidays

 

DONATE AND OBTAIN A GIFT
during this holiday season to help
our peacebuilding work

 

We wish our Muslim friends a blessed Mawlid al-Nabi, birthday of Prophet Muhammad (December 23) and our Western Christian friends a blessed Christmas on December 25 (our Egyptian Orthodox friends celebrate on January 7). 

 

 

 

It is good to see our Muslim and Christian friends celebrate their feasts so close together. Egypt is a country with so many excellent cross-religious friendships and cooperation but there is also much sorrow, in particular in the countries around Egypt. The media focus is too often much too negative and simplistic. One rarely sees how complex the situation in Egypt and other countries is. Yet, this understanding is so much needed in order to help Egypt to overcome the many challenges it is facing.

 

We want to create understanding for the complexity in our region. We need your support . . . toward helping to create a harmonious, peaceful and tolerant world.

 

Arab-West Report has frequently demonstrated that stereotypes and media hype are overshadowing the fundamental truth that people all over the world, regardless of background or faith, have the same needs and want to live in peace.
 

In the previous newsletters we have explained that we truly need your support. The work that needs to be done is so much larger than our capacity allows us.

 

If you donate 300 Euros or more you can choose an original Egyptian artwork, tapestry or an icon, from the Arab-West Foundation website. Artists need time to prepare this and we cannot deliver this before your feast but we can provide you or the person you want to surprise with this gift with a certificate stating that he/she will obtain this asap.

 

All donations support the unique work we do:

 

The Center for Arab-West Understanding has become Egypt’s largest internship provider but interns need a well-functioning database and team to support them. We have in the past year worked on upgrading our websites. The CAWU and AWF websites have tremendously improved but the Arab-West Report website needs much more work. We cannot do this without you.

 

Our interns are capable of interviewing people who are able to provide unique insights in society but whose voices are rarely heard but organizing such interviews and providing full transcriptions that do justice to their views are immensely time consuming. This too we cannot do without your support.

 

We are capable of introducing interns and friends of our center to locations in Egypt that are rarely visited by Egyptians and non-Egyptians who are not from those areas. Organizing such visits costs time and thus need support.

 

We have earned the respect of people from many different sectors in society with our focus on descriptive reporting and being non-partisan which has resulted in a good network of friends who are willing to support us with their expertise but this too needs coordination and staff.

We are uniquely placed to enhance understanding, respect, deepen friendships between people of different faiths and cultures but do need your support.

 

Work is not easy. We are truly struggling to make ends meet and would appreciate your contributions to either the Arab-West Foundation in the Netherlands (for donations outside Egypt) or the Center for Arab-West Understanding (for donations inside Egypt).

 

Koen Vliegenthart,                                                                              Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil,

Chairman Arab-West Foundation,                                                  Chair Center for Arab-West Understanding,

The Netherlands                                                                                 Egypt

www.arabwestfoundation.com                                                         www.cawu.org

 

Cornelis Hulsman,

Director Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation

Egypt

www.cidtegypt.com

[email protected]