The Christian Islamic Center for Understanding and Partnership organizes a seminar about volunteering in religions

Cairo, July 31 – The Islamic Center for Understanding and Partnership organized a seminar entitled “Christian and Islamic Concepts of Charitable Work” in cooperation with the Center for Arab-Western Understanding, in the presence of Dr. Sami Fawzy, Archbishop of Alexandria Region of the Episcopal Church, and Dr. Mounir Hanna, Honorary Archbishop and Director of the Islamic-Christian Center for Understanding and Partnership, at the conference hall of the All Saints Episcopal Cathedral in Zamalek.


The seminar was delivered by Dr. Magdi Ashour, Advisor to the Grand Mufti of the Republic, and Rev. Dr. Stephen Blunt, Dean of the Faculty of Theology, University of Cambridge.

“I welcome all attendees to the Christian-Muslim Center for Understanding and Partnership, as a volunteer and community work is of great importance and influence, as we work on a common ground of dialogue to see the extent of the needs of people who suffer in our societies,” Archbishop Sami Fawzi said that at the beginning of the seminar.

“Today is the opening session of an integrated conference on interfaith dialogue that will be held next week, which brings together both Muslim and Christian youth, and its goal is to learn how to develop Muslim-Christian relations and help each other in light of the circumstances surrounding the region,” Archbishop added.


Dr. Mounir Hanna said, “We aim to learn together how to meet the needs of society, and how religions face poverty and societal needs by listening today to ways to help others from all backgrounds.”


The Rev. Dr. Stephen Blunt, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Cambridge, spoke at the beginning of his speech about the activities of the Church and its orientations to help others, using various and applied examples of charitable work, in addition to explaining a set of biblical texts used by Christ and His disciples to express love for the other, which is based on love for God first, then love for neighbor and neighbor, and remembering the poor.

“Poverty has become a societal problem, and we must find practical solutions to achieve justice for all human beings and meet their primary needs,” Dr. Stephen said, using the phrase “, Justice is the public face of loving others.”

His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Magdy Ashour, Advisor to the Grand Mufti of the Republic, addressed the attendees, saying: Human diversity came for acquaintance and cooperation to provide love and assistance to others, as we do not look at the poor in Islam just with compassion, but the poor take an ample space in Islam, as this humanitarian work, which does not expect him in return, makes man encouraged and waiting for his giving from God and not from humans.


He concluded his words by stressing: We help people experiencing poverty and support them through zakat so that they can manage their life in their life, as charitable endowments have a significant role in that. Islam encourages the individual to give charity from what he loves to obtain God’s satisfaction.