March 1, 2018

IMES Regional Brief – March 2018

Syria The Masks Have Fallen, Revealing the Ugly Faces of Imposters; We Are Left Alone to Face our God The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the US-led international coalition against ISIS of committing what it called a “brutal massacre” in the countryside of Deir el-Zor, following a military […]
February 2, 2018

IMES Regional Brief – February 2018

Lebanon The Candidates to the Protestant Seat in Parliament in the Upcoming General Elections Will Need to Remember that they Are Called to be “Stewards not Lords, Servants not Masters” On Friday, the 15th of January 2018, the Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Nouhad Al-Mashnouk, signed the draft electoral […]
January 4, 2018

IMES Regional Brief – January 2018

Lebanon Lebanon is not merely a country; it is a message The repercussions of President Trump’s announcement, on the 6th of December 2017, regarding Jerusalem and the transfer of the American Embassy, have held prominent place of late in the Lebanese political arena. The announcement is widely viewed as having cancelled all […]
December 7, 2017

IMES Regional Brief – December 2017

Lebanon The complexity of the Lebanese crisis teaches us not to rush to hasty conclusions regarding the Middle East and its numerous religious groups Once again last month, the Arab World was caught in the crossfire of the Sunni-Shiite regional struggle that keeps threatening the future of this region’s people. […]
September 29, 2016

Is It for the Poor to Seek Justice and Liberation?

By Rupen Das I have been intrigued that nowhere in Scripture does God encourage or exhort the poor to seek justice. [1] Throughout the Bible, the responsibility for social justice and care for the poor and those on the margins of life is on society as a whole, on every individual. […]
September 8, 2016

When Will It All End?

by Elias Ghazal After a year of fruitless negotiations, empty promises, and shady contracts, the garbage crisis is back in Lebanon! Piles of toxic waste have lined streets of towns and villages, emitting harmful gases, contaminating underground water streams, and causing an environmental disaster at a national level. The solution […]
September 1, 2016

Reflections on the Burkini: Symbol of Oppression, Liberation, but mostly Power

by Martin Accad You may be thinking: ‘Not another blog about the Burkini!’ Many of us have grown tired of these divisive issues. The building of minarets in Switzerland, of another mosque in America, or the debate over whether Muslim courts with limited jurisdiction over family affairs should be allowed […]
January 8, 2016

‘Religious Registration’: An Insult to Human Dignity and Decency

By Martin Accad Maryam was born a Muslim. Her society required her to live as a Muslim and eventually to die as a Muslim as well. Youssef was born a Christian. His society too required him to live and die as a Christian. But when they fell in love with […]