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November 29, 2018
Death in the Shadows of Displacement: forced migration, deathliness, and the hope for life
December 13, 2018

IMES Regional Brief – December 2018

Socio-economic realities in the MENA are not improving. In our Regional Brief for December 2018, we highlight issues of concern from Lebanon, Egypt, Mauritania, Sudan, Palestine and Iraq. Endemic corruption and the absence of reform in the educational system persists without any real transformation. Suffering and grief still knock at the doors of many people in our region. Slavery persists within our communities - in the twenty first century. Confronted with these issues, the Church in the region asks: Is education itself the solution? As suffering remains the norm, how must the church respond? Would it be better for the MENA church to develop a sound theology of suffering, rather than hope for its disappearance? Should we settle for a theology of suffering in the belief that evil is here to stay, or must we continue to resist evil and suffering in the hope that we can change reality? Our regional analysts attempt to answer these questions and ask many others for not only the regional Body of Christ, post-uprisings, but also globally in response to the unprecedented and widespread emergence of religiously-plural societies.

Lebanon

Missing Relatives is a Cause Waiting for the Church to Heal

Last July, Islamic State jihadists abducted 30 Druze women and children from the southern Syrian province of Sweida...Read More

Palestine/Israel

To Palestine and Israel: Open a Space for the Presence of the Socio-Political and Religious Other

For those following the conflict and global developments related to the conflict in Palestine/Israel...Read More

Iraq

The Dismal Realities Likely to Dominate the Arab World in Years to Come Invite the Church Globally to Promote Transparency and Accountability through the Practice of Resilience

On October 21, ‘Abdul Mahdi...Read More

Egypt

Education and the Future of Youth in the MENA

The World Bank released a new report on education in the MENA Region at a recent consultation held in Cairo on November 13, 2018. The purpose of this consultation was to discuss “the tensions holding back education...Read More

Sudan

Disease Strikes the Sudanese State of Kasala

Due to heavy rains in the past few months and poor sanitary conditions, flies and mosquitos have multiplied in Sudan’s Kasala state. As a result, diseases such as malaria, typhoid, cholera and chikungunya have spread...Read More

Mauritania

The Body of Christ in Mauritania: A Voice for the Voiceless Slaves

In 1981, Mauritania abolished slavery, the last country in the world to do so. Nonetheless, tens of thousands of people still live as forced laborers, domestic servants or child brides...Read More

2 Comments

  1. Peter Magner says:

    Well done Team, I love being able to read your round up each month, gives plenty to think about, for example, I was not aware of the number missing from Lebanon. Thank you very much.

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