Religious Pluralism in the Gulf

Panel’s Video:

Event’s Recap:

Event Synopsis:

When one thinks of the Arab Gulf, you could not be held at fault for associating the region with the religion of Islam. However, despite these associations, the Gulf region (and the greater Middle East in general) is birthplace to many of the world’s most widely practiced religions. Christianity and Judaism may be global in nature, but they originated in the Middle East and the majority of their adherents lived in the region well past the Middle Ages.  Many of today’s Arabian populations still practice these faiths. Other ancient religions, such as Yazdanism and Zoroastrianism are essentially exclusive to the region and retain small, yet devout followers. And Islam too, the religion thought to be dominant in the region is not monolithic but encompasses many differing and diverse traditions and beliefs far more complex than the oversimplified view of a Sunni/Shi’a divide. On top of this, a significant and growing population of expatriates increases the region’s religious diversity by bringing the religions of their homelands to the Gulf? How does the status of minority religions differ across the region? How does this significant religious plurality affect how the region is governed? While none of these questions have easy answers, please join GIF as we hear from an esteemed panel of experts and scholars who will help us unpack the topic.

Featured Speakers:

Introductory Remarks: His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III;

Followed by a Panel Featuring Dr. Elizabeth Promodrou (Moderator), Ms. Anna Koulouris, The Honorable Ira Forman, Ambassador Patrick Theros, Nabeel Al-Nowairah …And More to Be Announced!

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Speaker Bios

Special Guest Speaker –

His Beatitude the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Israel, Syria, Arabia, beyond the Jordan River, Cana of Galilee, and Holy Zion, Theophilus III

His Beatitude was elected unanimously on 22 August 2005 by the Holy Synod of Jerusalem as the 141st Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. He was born in Greece in 1952 and arrived in Jerusalem as a seminary student in 1964 and later entered the Order of the Holy Sepulcher. As an Archimandrite he established the first Christian Church in Qatar in 1996, a conservative state which up until then had banned churches. This opened the door for the establishment, with the support and approval of the Qatari government, of more than a dozen other Christian churches in the country. Prior to ascending to the patriarchal throne, his Beatitude served as Exarch of the Patriarchate in Qatar and later as Exarch to the Patriarchate of Moscow. He also served as Archbishop of Tabor in Palestine. His Beatitude studied theology at the University of Athens and went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Durham. He has studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Besides his native Greek, he also speaks English, Arabic and Hebrew.

Panelists

The Honorable Ira Forman – Fmr. US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.

Ira Forman was appointed the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism (SEAS) on May 20, 2013. He continued in that role until the end of the Obama Administration in January 2017. From 2011-2012 Mr. Forman served as the Jewish Outreach Director for the Obama for America campaign. He also served for nearly 15 years as the Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC). Mr. Forman received his B.A. from Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Government. He received his M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He co-edited and wrote for the reference book, Jews In American Politics. He has written articles on these topics for the Encyclopedia Judaica and in the past year has authored numerous opinion pieces in publications such as the Washington Post, the Jerusalem Post and New York Jewish Week. Mr. Forman will be discussing his experiences working with Jewish communities in the region.

Anna Koulouris

Ambassador Patrick Theros (Moderator)

Nabeel Al-Nowairah