IMES is launching its bilingual “Regional Brief,” which picks up on key news of a political, religious, economic, and social nature, happening in the MENA region. After shedding some biblical and theological insights on them, they will be presented in a way that serves churches and Christian organizations both in the MENA region and globally.

The goal of the Regional Brief is to increase the global body of Christ’s understanding of the region and to provide it with insight and recommendations for ministry.

LEBANON

The Church in Lebanon Needs to Balance Its Compassion between a Critical Situation at Home and the Safe Return of Syrian Refugees to their Country

On the 17th of October 2017, the Information Office of the Presidency of the Lebanese Republic announced President Michel Aoun’s call for the return of Syrian refugees to the safe areas of Syria, due to Lebanon’s inability to bear the consequences resulting from the Syrian presence in the country. This was in accordance with a statement issued by the Lebanese President during his meeting with the ambassadors of the UN Security Council, the ambassadors of the European Union, the United Nations envoys, and the League of Arab States. He announced the existence of at least two and a half million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a figure exceeding that registered by the UN Commission referring to one and a half million. Read more

PALESTINE / ISRAEL

Palestinians and Israelis Should Move Beyond Self-Victimization to Counter Balfour’s Historic Injustice

Today, the 2nd of November 2017, marks the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, a British document born of war-era realpolitik, ethno-nationalist aspirations, and millenarian zeal. Understood as an historic milestone by some and a monumental betrayal by others, the Balfour Declaration called for “[t]he establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” – under the suzerainty of the British Empire – “it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” Read more

IRAQ

The Return of Iraq’s Christians Could be the Hope for the Country

On the 15th of October 2017, the Iraqi central government forces reasserted their military and political control over Kirkuk, in northern Iraq following a growing push for independence that led to a Kurdish secession referendum on the 25th of September 2017 where 93% of Kurds expressed support for independence. Read more

EGYPT

Egypt’s Christians and Muslims May Need to Promote a Common, Biblically-Sanctioned Understanding of God to Counter Religious Violence

Thursday, the 12th of October, witnessed an attack on Coptic Priest Samaan Shehata in al-Marg, a poor area on the eastern side of Cairo, resulting in his death. Ahmed Saeed al-Sonbati, who had been charged previously with beating his father and setting his house on fire, struck Shehata in the head and abdomen with a cleaver while he was in Cairo gathering collections for his parishioners in al-Fashn (in the governate of Beni Suef about 150 km south of Cairo). Read more

SOUTH SUDAN

The Church in South Sudan Leads the Way in Promoting the Role of Women and Has an Important Responsibility in Developing a Comprehensive Understanding of Peace and Reconciliation

On the 17th of October 2017, the UN High Commissioner for Conflict Resolution and Peace addressed a letter to the international community calling for serious initiatives to be taken regarding the conflicts and problems facing South Sudan, after the deterioration of its security and the degradation of its humanitarian condition. Read more

TUNISIA

Controversy over the Prohibition of Marriage of a Muslim Female to a Non-Muslim Male in Tunisia Sheds Light on the Importance for Christians to Understand Legal Diversity in Islam

Tunisian authorities have lifted the ministerial order that had previously prohibited the marriage of Muslim Tunisian females to non-Muslim males, announced Saida Garrach, the spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic, on Thursday the 14th of September, 2017. Read more