| Taking Interfaith Understanding from the Virtual to the Real World |
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 In May of 2009, the American Islamic Congress held a training seminar in Morocco for cyber-activists from a dozen Middle Eastern countries. The workshop strengthened participants’ social entrepreneurship skills in order to translate Internet-based interfaith efforts into real-world activities. Participants were asked to propose their own events on interfaith issues to be held in their communities and then received a micro-grant to support implementation of the programs.
In addition to making impact in their local communities, participants’ events were also designed to create replicable models of grassroots interfaith organizing. Below are case studies of projects implemented in the region by seminar participants. These programs range from an intimate dinner discussion in a private home to an elaborate day-long seminars for dozens of participants. Some address intra-faith tensions within the Muslim community, while others tackle civil rights challenges that cross sectarian lines. All participants learned important lessons from the process of organizing their activities, from unanticipated challenges to using online resources to organize off-line events.
The case studies below are designed to be models for other young Middle Easterners. Each concludes with suggestions for how to go about organizing a similar event in your own community. In addition, a group of educators and organizers working in the field of interfaith relations offer their feedback on the programs.
 Event Model #1: “Maghribna - Our Morocco: Dialogue on Minorities”
Lamiae, a Moroccan university student, organized a group of fellow students as well as a few Moroccans of the older generation, to discuss the country’s Jewish minority. Initially the event was designed to be an interfaith discussion. But when it became logistically complicated to include local Jewish high school students, she switched to Plan B and held an intra-Muslim dialogue about religious freedom over lunch and an outing to the park. full story
Event Model #2: “Al Maw’oudah - Interfaith Solidarity against Honor Killing”
Ahmad, a young Jordanian activist, organized an interfaith gathering at a café in his hometown to discuss the challenge of so-called “honor killings” that impact both the Muslim and Christian communities. He and a veteran women’s rights advocate presented on the taboo issue to a diverse group of students (evenly divided by gender and religion) and then moderated an open discussion among participants. full story
 Event Model #3: “Training Day: Freedom of Conscience in International Law”
Ahmed, a young Egyptian lawyer, organized a day-long seminar for young cyber-activists on international conventions relating to religious freedom. Participants learned about international law, techniques of responding to types of religious discrimination, and ultimately proposed their own ideas for promoting a culture of tolerance. Breakout groups came up with lots of interesting ideas, which were discussed at length during a post-seminar trip to a local café. full story
 Event Model #4: "Church Tour for Young Muslims"
Seminar participant Bachir (a native of Laayoune who studies in Fez) decided to make his event a tour of the Church of San Fransisco in his hometown. Bachir himself had never visited the church and decided to organize a visit by a group of university students and professors. The Catholic priest of the church, who originally hails from Spain, led the tour and then had a discussion with the students on interfaith relations in Laayoune. A local news station, struck by how unusual the event was, filmed the tour and broadcast a positive report on the evening news. full story
 Event Model #5: “Coexistence: The Role of the Media in Intra-Muslim Tension”
Abdullah, a young Yemeni cyber journalist who has faced censorship for his writing on religious issues, convened an afternoon discussion of elite leaders to discuss growing tension between Yemen’s Sunni and Zaidi sects. Participants included a member of parliament, editors of newspapers, and NGO executives. The goal of the discussion was to produce positive recommendations for how civil society leaders and the media could help promote coexistence. The event was widely covered in the local press. full story
 Event Model #6: “Dialogue between Religions: Risk of Solution?”
Rowaida, a young Lebanese student and radio journalist, organized a day-long seminar at the UNESCO Palace in Beirut for a group of over 50 people, including expert presenters and audience members representing most of Lebanon’s 28 sects. This large-scale event was made possible by collaborating with existing NGOs and institutions, and generated widescale coverage in print, radio, and TV. In addition, observers from other countries in the region attended and are now eager to hold similar events in their own communities. full story
We welcome your feedback as well. Please send questions and comments to event@aicongress.org. In addition, we offer an event-planning form (PDF download) to help you develop your own ideas. For educators looking to hold their own local seminars on social entrepreneurship and interfaith relations, AIC has prepared a training manual that covers workshop planning, suggested lectures & activities, and post-seminar follow-up. To request a copy, email event@aicongress.org.
This project was made possible with the support of USIP, UUSC, and Al Akhawayn University.
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