Religion & Security Council

24/11/2024

🇳🇬 The Religion and Security Council (RSC) features the book "Tears and Torture: 33 Days in Kidnappers Den" (2024), authored by Rev. Fr. Stephen Ojapah, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria and a Fellow at the KAICIID Dialogue Centre. Inspired by his personal experience, Fr. Stephen offers a vivid account of what victims of abduction go through in , including the trauma they continue to live with afterwards. The fourteen-chapter volume also captures the general situation of the entire country, with facts and figures backing the arguments put forward.

In his review at the back of the book, RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli argues that “Stephen Ojapah’s work is many things together. The author walks the readers through the discovery of Nigeria’s social, cultural, and religious fabric, sharing insights and accurate information on the extremist violence facing the Nigerian population, especially the Christian communities. The courageous account of his kidnapping sheds light on the darkest dimension of this violence, which remains largely unknown or disregarded on the international level. As a leader, he shows the way forward to address the predicament of his country, calling at once for security and inter-religious dialogue to be strengthened. Fr. Stephen offers to all of us a unique witness and many lessons about human existence. His book cannot be missed”.



“Tears and Torture: 33 Days in Kidnappers Den”
Stephen Omeiza Ojapah
‎Native Book Publishing, 2024
159 pages
ISBN-10: 1836633246
ISBN-13: 978-1836633242

RSC website:
www.religionandsecurity.org/2024/11/01/tears-and-torture-33-days-in-kidnappers-den

Book Presentation (video)
www.religionandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/WhatsApp-Video-2024-11-01-at-10.23.34.mp4?_=1

See also:
Nigeria – A Call To Restore Security Against Extremist Violence
www.religionandsecurity.org/2020/03/09/a-call-to-restore-security-against-extremist-violence-in-nigeria

24/11/2024

RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli gave a guest lecture on “Interreligious Dialogue in Conflicts Resolution and Peace-Building” at the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) in Rome. In the presentation, he examined the general concept and main tenets of interreligious dialogue; the potentialities of interreligious dialogue as a driver of peace, security, and conflict transformation; the need to encompass interreligious dialogue in the comprehensive approach of international security strategies; the "Human Fraternity Initiative" in Tripoli, North Lebanon, as a model of interreligious dialogue implementation in peace-building; the achievements, failures, and prospects of interreligious dialogue, especially in the MENA region. The guest lecture took place within the course on radicalization and counter-terrorism held at IES by Dr. Diego Pagliarulo.

www.religionandsecurity.org/2024/10/23/rsc-chairman-on-interreligious-dialogue-in-conflicts-resolution-and-peace-building

On 23 October 2024, RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli gave a guest lecture on “Interreligious Dialogue in Conflicts Resolution and Peace-Building” at the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) in Rome. In the presentation, he examined the general concept and main tenets of int...

26/08/2024

🇮🇳 As part of his efforts to spread the message of the “Human Fraternity Document” in , Dr. Fr. Victor Edwin SJ, RSC Senior Fellow and Secretary of the Islamic Studies Association (ISA), Vidyajyoti College of Theology, promoted new interreligious dialogue programs across the country. Among them, he organized a seminar in Chennai on July 20, in partnership with the Gandhi Peace Foundation (GPF), to celebrate the launch of the “Human Fraternity Movement” in Tamil Nadu. The event was joined by a network of religious leaders, practitioners, and civil society representatives, who discussed the relevance of the “Human Fraternity Document” and planned future initiatives for the newly born “Human Fraternity Movement” to advance dialogue, living together, justice, and non-violence in the local context.

https://religionandsecurity.org/2024/07/20/promoting-human-fraternity-in-india

As part of his efforts to spread the message of the “Human Fraternity Document” in India, Dr. Fr. Victor Edwin SJ, RSC Senior Fellow and Secretary of the Islamic Studies Association (ISA), Vidyajyoti College of Theology, promoted new interreligious dialogue programs across the country. Among the...

14/08/2024

🇱🇧 Under the “Human Fraternity Initiative”, the Religion & Security Council (RSC) coordinated a new distribution of medicines in , North Lebanon. The donation coming from Rome was delivered to the parish of St. Maron, Maronite Archbishopric of Tripoli, in partnership with the Annas Linnas Association and Maison d’Entraide et de Développement Social (medsliban.com), and with the patronage of MP Hon. Elie Khoury, member of the Lebanese National Assembly. Special thanks for the support to Dr. Dolly Farah, former Director of the Human Rights Institute at the Tripoli Law Bar Association. New distributions are being planned for the near future to serve Tripoli’s population and other areas of as well, amid this time conflict and predicament.

03/06/2024

🇱🇧 Under the “Human Fraternity Initiative”, the Religion and Security Council (RSC) coordinated a medicine distribution in favor of families and individuals in need in Tripoli, North Lebanon, in partnership with the Annas Linnas Association and Maison d’Entraide et de Développement Social, with the patronage of MP Hon. Elie Khoury, member of the Lebanese National Assembly. The donation was delivered to Caritas Lebanon – Tripoli Sector and to the Alawite Islamic Charity Association (AICA). New distributions are being planned for the near future to ensure a constant flow of medicines to the city's population.

www.religionandsecurity.org/2024/05/30/medicine-distribution-in-tripoli-north-lebanon

Under the “Human Fraternity Initiative”, the Religion & Security Council (RSC) coordinated a medicine distribution in favor of families and individuals in need in Tripoli, North Lebanon, in partnership with the Annas Linnas Association and Maison d’Entraide et de Développement Social, with th...

13/03/2024

🇱🇧 The second and final day of the “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”, organized by the Religion & Security Council (RSC), took place on Saturday, March 9, at the Safadi Cultural Center in Tripoli, North Lebanon.

Similarly to the initial day of the program, over 20 journalists and media professionals from Tripoli and North Lebanon attended the proceedings, which were opened by the remarks of the representatives of local faith-based and civil society organizations: Mr. Camil Ammar, President of the Maison d’Entraide et de Développement Social (MEDS); Ms. Eliana Farah, Member of the Young Women Christian Association-Lebanon (YWCA-L), Sheikh Ali Assi, Head of the Religious Department, Alawite Islamic Charity Association (AICA); Rev. Fr. Abdo Raad, President of the Annas Linnas Association; Mr. Mohammad Younis, social activist. During the session, moderated by RSC Coordinator for Tripoli and North Lebanon Amin Brair, they shared their experience in strengthening community bonds between different religious groups at the grassroots level, shedding light on their accomplishments as well as on challenges to overcome.

The next session featured an interreligious group of Tripoli’s prominent religious, political, and academic figures, who discussed the role of the decision-makers in translating the content and the message of the “Human Fraternity Document” into concrete “policies, decisions, legislative texts”: H.E. Mons. Youssef Soueif, Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli; H.Em. Sheikh Malik al-Shaar, Former M***i of Tripoli and North Lebanon; MP Elie Khoury, District of Tripoli; Dr. Mustafa Allouch, Former MP, District of Tripoli; Dr. Mustafa al-Helwi, scholar and author.

A keynote speech on “Media and Peace-Building” was then given by Dr. May Chidiac, Former Minister and President of the May Chidiac Foundation − Media Institute (MCF-MI), followed by a roundtable discussion moderated by Ildico Elia, host at Radio Liban Libre (RLL).

In the last session, participants presented their works on “Tripoli - Capital of Human Fraternity”, showing the videos, articles, and interviews they produced with the direction of the journalist and media personality Zaven Kouyoumdjian.

In conclusion, RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli thanked the participants for their commitment to the program, and announced that there will be new developments soon within the “Human Fraternity Initiative” in Tripoli and Northern Lebanon, also involving the media among the key stakeholders. He also highlighted the upcoming distribution of medicines and pharmaceutical products coming from Italy to local families in need by the “Human Fraternity Ambassadors”, an interreligious network of young practitioners active in the social field in Tripoli and North Lebanon.

The proceedings ended with the distribution of the participation certificates to the journalists and media professionals who joined the “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”.

The program was organized by RSC with the support of the KAICIID Dialogue Centre and the De Gasperi Foundation, and in partnership with the May Chidiac Foundation-Media Institute (Media Advisor), Dialogue for Life and Reconciliation (DLR), DLR Sustainable Network of Religious Leaders in the North of Lebanon, Maison d’Entraide et de Développement Social (MEDS), Alawite Islamic Charity Association (AICA), Annas Linnas Association, and the Lebanese Center for Active Citizenship (LCAC).

The second and final day of the “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”, organized by the Religion & Security Council (RSC), took place on Saturday, March 9, at the Safadi Cultural Center in Tripoli, North Lebanon. Similarly to the initial day of the program, over 20 journalists and me

05/03/2024

🇱🇧 "Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”.

RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli: “The goal of the program is to strengthen the engagement of the as a powerful tool to promote the transformational message of the in the public sphere in and ”.

First Day of the “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”:
www.religionandsecurity.org/2024/03/04/first-day-human-fraternity-initiative-media-training

Full program:

English
www.religionandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Human-Fraternity-Initiative-Media-Training.pdf

Arabic
www.religionandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%91%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A8-%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A.pdf

04/03/2024

🇱🇧 The first day of the “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”, organized by the Religion & Security Council (RSC), took place at the Safadi Cultural Center in Tripoli, North Lebanon, on Saturday, March 2. The proceedings were attended by over 20 journalists and media professionals, who were guided by leading scholars and practitioners in the discovery of the Human Fraternity Document to harness its potential in advancing interfaith relations on a local level.

“The goal of the program – as explained by RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli in the introduction – is to further strengthen the engagement of the media as a powerful tool to promote the transformational message of the Human Fraternity Document in the public sphere in Tripoli and North Lebanon”. “RSC has always believed in the major role of the media in promoting peace-building and social cohesion, involving journalists and media professionals in all its interreligious activities”, highlighted Amin Brair, RSC Coordinator for Tripoli and North Lebanon, while illustrating to the participants the 5-year work of RSC under the Human Fraternity Initiative.

The first session of the training on “The Human Fraternity Document and Interreligious Dialogue in Tripoli and North Lebanon” was conducted by Dr. Ziad Fahed, President of Dialogue for Life and Reconciliation (DLR), Coordinator of the DLR Sustainable Network of Religious Leaders in the North of Lebanon, and Professor of Religious Studies, Notre Dame University-Louaize. Dr. Fahed outlined how the principles and guidelines of the Human Fraternity Document can be actualized in Tripoli and North Lebanon to foster and strengthen the “culture of tolerance, acceptance of others and of living together peacefully”.

Dr. Fahed also coordinated the second session on “Human Fraternity and the Role of Religious Leaders”, including as speakers prominent members of the DLR Sustainable Network of Religious Leaders in the North of Lebanon: Sheikh Firas Balout, Muslim Sunni Community, Head of Religious Affairs; Sheikh Mohamad Haydar, Muslim Alawite Community, Jabal Mohsen; Rev. Fr. Ibrahim Derbaly, Christian Orthodox Community, Principal of Mar Elias School El Mina. The three figures shared insights and views on the engagement of the Sunni, Alawite, and Christian religious leaders from Tripoli and North Lebanon in promoting dialogue and cooperation for the common good, according to the concept of “social religious responsibility”.

The third session on “The Role of the Media in Promoting Human Fraternity and Interreligious Dialogue for Peace-Building” was conducted by Dr. Elias El Halabi, Chairperson of the Christian Muslim Studies Center and Director of the Sheikh Nahyan Center for Arabic Studies and Intercultural Dialogue at the University of Balamand, where he is also Associate Professor of Cultural Studies. Dr. El Halabi examined how journalists and media professionals can facilitate the creation of spaces for the encounter and collaboration between different religious groups, acting as a bridge for communication and understanding, and as key actors in the development of positive and constructive interfaith relations based on “Human Fraternity”.

Media personality Zaven Kouyoumdjian addressed the fourth session on “Human Fraternity and Countering Hate Speech on Social Media”, featured by May Chidiac Foundation – Media Institute. Mr. Kouyoumdjian looked into the best practices for journalists to address online statements and narratives that target religious communities, moderate actors, and vulnerable categories, and to develop effective media contents to promote “Human Fraternity” on the web.

Mr. Kouyoumdjian also coordinated the first part of the workshop “Tripoli as Capital of Human Fraternity”, guiding participants in the development of articles, interviews, and video reports that describe the multiple examples of “human fraternity and harmonious coexistence” that characterize Tripoli’s social and cultural fabric. Their works will be presented during the second and final day of the training program on March 9.

The “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training” is organized by RSC with the support of the KAICIID Dialogue Centre and the De Gasperi Foundation (Italy), and in partnership with the May Chidiac Foundation-Media Institute (Media Advisor), Dialogue for Life and Reconciliation (DLR), DLR Sustainable Network of Religious Leaders in the North of Lebanon, Maison d’Entraide et de Développement Social (MEDS), Alawite Islamic Charity Association (AICA), Annas Linnas Association, and the Lebanese Center for Active Citizenship (LCAC).

The first day of the “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”, organized by the Religion & Security Council (RSC), took place at the Safadi Cultural Center in Tripoli, North Lebanon, on Saturday, March 2. The proceedings were attended by over 20 journalists and media professionals, who w...

01/03/2024

🇱🇧 The “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”, promoted by the Religion and Security Council (RSC), will take place on March 2 and March 9 at the Safadi Cultural Center in Tripoli, North Lebanon.

The 2-day program will include training sessions for journalists and media professionals on the role of the “Human Fraternity Document on World Peace and Living Together”, signed in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb, as a source of inspiration and guidance for the ongoing efforts in Tripoli and North Lebanon to advance interreligious dialogue, living together, and cooperation for the common good.

The goal of the program is to engage the media in supporting these efforts by way of constant coverage and attention, thus contributing to the promotion of “Human Fraternity” in the local context.

The training will be delivered by scholars, religious leaders, and practitioners with major experience in spreading “Human Fraternity” in Tripoli and North Lebanon through dialogue, education, advocacy, charity, and other activities.

As a result of their engagement in the program, each participant will produce articles, interviews, or video reports about the role of Tripoli as “Capital of Human Fraternity”, showing how “dialogue as the path, mutual cooperation as the code of conduct, reciprocal understanding as the method and standard” (Human Fraternity Document), are being furthered in the city and the broader region.

Alongside the training sessions, aid distribution to families in need will be carried out by the “Human Fraternity Ambassadors”, an interreligious network of young practitioners active in the social field in Tripoli and North Lebanon.

The “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training” is organized by Religion and Security Council (RSC) with the support of the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) and the De Gasperi Foundation, and in partnership with the May Chidiac Foundation - Media Institute (Media Advisor), Dialogue for Life & Reconciliation-DLR, DLR Sustainable Network of Religious Leaders in the North of Lebanon, Maison d’Entraide et de Développement Social (MEDS), Alawite Islamic Charity Association (AICA), Annas Linnas Association, and the Lebanese Center for Active Citizenship (LCAC).

Full Program:

English
http://religionandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Human-Fraternity-Initiative-Media-Training.pdf

Arabic
http://religionandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%91%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A8-%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A.pdf

https://religionandsecurity.org/2024/02/29/tripoli-shines-as-capital-of-human-fraternity/

The “Human Fraternity Initiative – Media Training”, promoted by the Religion & Security Council, will take place on March 2 and March 9 at the Safadi Cultural Center in Tripoli, North Lebanon. The 2-day program will include training sessions for journalists and media professionals on the role ...

16/02/2024

🇱🇧 RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli and RSC Coordinator for Tripoli and North Lebanon Amin Brair visited the Islamic Alawite Council in Jabal Mohsen, Tripoli. They were welcomed by Sheikh Ali Kaddour, the newly elected Head of the Islamic Alawite Council, and Sheikh Ali Assi, Head of the Religious Department at the Alawite Islamic Charity Association (AICA). RSC Chairman illustrated the upcoming programs promoted in Tripoli by RSC under the “Human Fraternity Initiative”, and Sheikh Kaddour confirmed the engagement of the Islamic Alawite Council in supporting interreligious dialogue and cooperation in the city and the broader region.

https://religionandsecurity.org/2024/02/15/lebanon-visit-to-the-islamic-alawite-council-in-tripoli

RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli and RSC Coordinator for Tripoli and North Lebanon Amin Brair visited the Islamic Alawite Council in Jabal Mohsen, Tripoli. They were welcomed by Sheikh Ali Kaddour, the newly elected Head of the Islamic Alawite Council, and Sheikh Ali Assi, Head of the Religious Depar

28/01/2024

💡 “ADDRESSING RELIGION, PEACE, AND SECURITY: STRATEGIC TAKEAWAYS ON THE ROLE OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE” 💡

by RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli

While religious-based views and identities are often misused to fuel inter-state warfare and geopolitical rivalries, domestic strife and tensions, radicalization and violent extremism, a strategy based on a truly comprehensive approach needs to take into consideration the transformational capacities of interreligious dialogue in enabling de-escalation and de-confliction, reconciliation and cooperation, both in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and other areas of the world. By engaging the stakeholders from different religious groups, interreligious dialogue can provide a neutral space for the encounter between representatives of the conflicting parties, contributing to… Read the full text on the website of the Religion & Security Council.

Article drawn from the new Study Paper “Religion, Peace, and Security: Challenges and Prospects in the MENA Region” (pp. 89-91), and also published on Salaam Quarterly, Islamic Studies Association, Vidyajyoti College of Theology, vol. 44, n. 4, New Delhi, October 2023.

Article drawn from the Study Paper “Religion, Peace, and Security: Challenges and Prospects in the MENA Region” (pp. 89-91), and also published on Salaam Quarterly, Islamic Studies Association, Vidyajyoti College of Theology, vol. 44, n. 4, New Delhi, October 2023. While religious-based views

14/12/2023

The Study Paper “Religion, Peace, and Security: Challenges and Prospects in the MENA Region”, promoted by the NATO SFA COE and the Religion & Security Council (RSC), is now available online:

https://religionandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Study-Paper-Religion-Peace-and-Security-in-the-MENA-Region.pdf

https://religionandsecurity.org/2023/12/12/religion-peace-and-security-in-the-mena-region/

The publication, edited by RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli in collaboration with Dr. Sihem Djebbi, Associate Professor at the University of Sorbonne Paris Nord, collects the proceedings of the Study Seminar held in Rome on 5-6 May 2022, which brought together an international group of scholars, experts, religious leaders, military officers, and civil society representatives, with the goal of examining the potentialities of the “religious factor” in the Mediterranean and the Middle East as a “driver” of peace and security.

Heartfelt thanks from RSC to:

- The NATO SFA COE for enabling the realization of the whole project;

- The Executive Committee including, in addition to RSC Chairman Emiliano Stornelli and Dr. Sihem Djebbi, the former NATO SFA COE Director, Col. Massimo Di Pietro, Col. Michele SCIANNAMEA, Maj. Gianpaolo Pauciulo, Maj. Davide Li Pira, Maj. Ludovica Glorioso, Ms. Shireen A. Mashaqba, RSC Senior Fellow and Head of the Cultural Relations Section, Hashemite University of Jordan;

- The authors who contributed to the Study Paper: Lt. Gen. stefano del col, Director at the Supreme Council of Defense, Italian Presidency of the Republic, and former UNIFIL Commander; Dr. Elie Al Hindy, Executive Director of the Adyan Foundation; Dr. Majeda Omar, Associate Professor, University of Jordan, and Former Director of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies; Prof. Aicha Haddou, Director of Ta’aruf − Morocco Interfaith & Peacebuilding Research and Training Centre, Rabita Mohammedia of Ulemas; Imam Yahya Pallavicini, President of the Islamic Religious Community of Italy (COREIS) and ICESCO Ambassador; Dr. Elie Abouaoun (DDS, MBA), RSC Senior Fellow and former Director of North Africa Programs & Regional Hub, U.S. Institute of Peace; Hon. Pascale Warda, RSC Senior Fellow, President of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, and Former Minister for Migration and the Displaced, Iraqi Interim Government.

- The other experts featured in the volume, among them: Mons. Rev. Lucio Sembrano, Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, The Holy See; Dr. Ziad Fahed, Notre Dame University-Louaize; Mr. Andrin Raj, RSC Senior Fellow and Director of the Nordic Counter Terrorism Network; Dr. Francesca Corrao, LUISS University; Dr. Michael Driessen, John Cabot University; Ahmeddahir Hussein, Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, Federal Republic of Somalia; Dr. Pejman Abdolmohammadi, University of Trento; Dr. Vladimer Narsia, KAICIID Fellow and Chairman of Religious Dialogue for Peace in Georgia.

The Study Paper “Religion, Peace, and Security: Challenges and Prospects in the MENA Region”, promoted by the NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence (NATO SFA COE) and the Religion & Security Council (RSC), is now available online: http://religionandsecurity.org/wp-content/upload