Al-Liqa is an ecumenical centre founded more than 20 years ago by Christian and Muslim scholars and religious leaders to promote interfaith understanding and theological studies. The centre runs various education programmes, including workshops and study days, and publishes its own books and journals dealing with interfaith theological topics.
Dr Geries Khoury, Al-Liqa Director, says, “Exclusivism is more dangerous than fundamentalism. This is the real fundamentalism, in my eyes, when I do not recognise the rights of others, when I exclude you. The other way is inclusivism.”
Dr Khoury has developed a model for Palestinian contextual theology to help Palestinian and Israeli Christians develop and understand their faith in relation to the current conflict in the region. “Contextual theology should help believers to live their Christian faith in a specific time and a specific context,” he says.
“I write contextual theology, not liberation theology. I am a Palestinian, I am a Christian, I am a Greek Catholic. I am caught in a state of war with Israel. I am belonging to the Bible and my enemy belongs to the Bible also.”
“The context is inspiring also,” he continues. “Besides the pains, the context gives a lot of hope, and the courage and motives to be creative, and to challenge it in a positive way, and to look ahead. I am writing a book about this also, about how I have grown up a Palestinian Christian, how I look for justice and peace, and about my relationship with Judaism and Christianity.”
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