Religion in the Service of Humanity

The entanglement of religion and politics in the Middle East often divides communities and leads to conflict, particularly among young people. “We all agreed that it is important to focus on universal values and ethics, reject extremism, and make the necessary efforts to develop practical formulas for fruitful cooperation,” says Rima Bayan Sleem, a 33-year-old judicial assistant from Chouf, Lebanon.

"We all agreed that it is important to focus on universal values and ethics, reject extremism, and make the necessary efforts to develop practical formulas for fruitful cooperation."

Thanks to your Mission & Service gifts, Rima and 36 other young adults gathered in Beirut, Lebanon, for the World Student Christian Federation-Middle East Region (WSCF-ME) 2021. They participated in an Interfaith Dialogue program that develops leaders skilled in preventing violence and fostering peace between communities.

WSCF-ME’s role is to be a mediator of peace and understanding amid all the overwhelming regional issues that include sectarian strife. “The Interfaith Dialogue program’s importance lies in the fact that it brings together youth from different religious backgrounds…to engage in a constructive peace-facilitating dialogue,” says Mira Neaimeh, Regional Executive for WSCF-ME. “I personally believe that change is done in small steps, starting from our regional gatherings that sow seeds of peace to be reaped in the future.”

"The Interfaith Dialogue program’s importance lies in the fact that it brings together youth from different religious backgrounds…to engage in a constructive peace-facilitating dialogue."

Your Mission & Service gifts help leaders in the Middle East and across the world collaborate and promote peaceful dialogue.

The United Church of Canada is strongly committed to working ecumenically with Christians of diverse traditions and with people of other faiths for the common good, particularly in building peace and addressing shared concerns, such as climate change.