1 November 16:00-17:30 GMT
University of Sussex Arts C building and online Room C133 in the Arts C building and online on Zoom.
Speaker
Professor Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Leverhulme Senior International Fellow-Coventry University & Abdulaziz Said Chair for Peace and Conflict Resolution, American University.
Chair
Fabio Petito, Professor of Religion and International Affairs, University of Sussex.
In this Sussex Development Lecture, Mohammed Abu-Nimer will share his research and practice on questions – and issues related to advancing reconciliation and forgiveness in the Arab region, as a pathway to building peace and sustainable development in conflict areas.
The Arab region is in a crisis of political transition, experiencing various political and social movements calling for rapid changes in governance, security, and economic and social developments.
There have been many obstacles in the path of such movements, including failed formal political agreements, deteriorating economic and security conditions, and lack of dealing with root causes of the conflicts.
In this lecture, the speaker will explore ways in which reconciliation and forgiveness can be effective tools in contributing to peacebuilding and sustainable development in the Arab region – and respond to certain root causes of many conflicts there.
He will also share models for introducing forgiveness and reconciliation in education systems in Arab schools; an initiative that has been implemented in several communities by teachers and community leaders, based on empirical research that has been conducted in the region since 2012. There have been challenges and obstacles in integrating these concepts and processes, which will be shared and discussed.
Mohammed Abu-Nimer, of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program, is a full professor who has conducted interreligious conflict resolution training and interfaith dialogue workshops in conflict areas around the world, such as in, Egypt, Northern Ireland, the Philippines (Mindanao), Israel, Palestine, Chad, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka.
As a professor with over 35 years of teaching experience, he has developed numerous courses that deal with different facets of peacebuilding and conflict resolution and regularly publishes on the subject.
As an expert on conflict resolution and dialogue for peace, Dr Abu-Nimer has conducted research in these fields among Palestinians and Jews in Israel, focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on the application of conflict resolution models in Muslim communities.