Inter-Religious Reconciliation Initiative
“When religion goes wrong, it goes very wrong. But if religion is part of the problem – it must be part of the solution.” Andrew White
Without genuine Reconciliation there can never be lasting peace. Religion and politics are intimately linked in the Middle East. This makes having a religious track essential to a balanced peace process. A wholly secular approach will not be sufficient. The FRRME specialise in forging reconciliation by engaging religious leaders in dialogue and helping them use their influence to promote peace. Canon Andrew is uniquely placed to fulfil this role in the Middle East. In Iraq, his ten years experience of the country and obvious love for it demonstrated by the sheer amount of time he spends there as well as his commitment to St Georges Church Baghdad, mean that he is trusted by many influential Iraqis.
This allows Canon Andrew a greater degree of respect and access than someone who is ‘just another Western activist’. Being British and a Church leader means Andrew has access to the hierarchy of the Multi-National Forces present in Iraq. In Israel / Palestine Andrew’s influence is built on his work there that started whilst he was the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, and included the signing of the Alexandra declaration in 2002. Having lived in Israel whilst studying at the University of Jerusalem and the Jewish Karliner Yeshiva, Canon White has first hand experience of the troubles.
In this position as a node between Shia and Sunni, Muslim and Jew, East and West, Government and Opposition, Andrew can work to reconcile the differences these groups have. The work is based on building networks of relationships and using these to make connections where none previously existed. These networks have grown incrementally over the years and represent our most valuable asset in the region.
One method by which reconciliation work is pursued is by organising conferences which gather together many influential leaders at one time. At these events delegates discuss the problems their country faces, what are the possible solutions and how they might use their influence to alleviate the situation. At the conclusion of each conference, a declaration or fatwah is issued for dissemination among the people and governments of the region. Information about these conferences can be found on this website under Iraq and Israel/PNA, such as the Iraqi High Council of religious leaders who currently meet several times a year and former meetings in Israel/PNA – the culmination of which saw the issuing of the famous ‘Alexandria Declaration’. The serious work of reconciliation involves significant risk but we believe this is necessary: we must be as radical in the pursuit of peace as others are in waging war. FRRME also believes that we must seek the broadest possible engagement which often means reaching out to those not involved in inter-group dialogue. “In order to achieve anything there must be substantial engagement with those who are causing the problems. Only then can true progress be made” If we are serious about peace it means engaging with our enemies. We are an organisation who engage with, and are staffed by people of any faith background. However Andrew and the organisation are inspired the Christian faith. Of particular inspiration are the Beatitudes, found in the Bible in Matthew 5.
