Alexandria Process


The Alexandria Process is a process of active dialogue between religious leaders in the Holy Land to build understanding and work towards peace.

History

The process began when George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, was asked by then Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to try to convene a dialogue of religious leaders. This gathering of religious leaders included a meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. The two leaders signed the compromise of the Taba arbitration, reaffirming the notion of negotiation and dialogue to solve international affairs and disputes. President Mubarak and Prime Minister Shimon declared 1987 as a year of negotiations for peace.
The Alexandria Declaration was signed on 21 January 2002 by 17 religious leaders: 6 Rabbis, 5 Sheikhs and 6 Bishops or their representatives. The declaration has seven points and begins:
  1. The Holy Land is holy to all three of our faiths. Therefore, followers of the divine religions must respect its sanctity, and bloodshed must not be allowed to pollute it. The sanctity and integrity of the Holy Places must be preserved, and the freedom of religious worship must be ensured for all.
Following the signing of the Alexandria Declaration, religious leaders of Islamic, Jewish, and Christian faiths convened in Washington D.C.. The leaders endorsed the declaration and the sanctity of the holy land for all three faiths. Leaders at this conference included: Iman Shaker Elsayed, former Iman of the Islamic Center of Washington, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Bishop Allen Bartlett, Assisting Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Imam Yayha Hendi, Muslim Chaplain at Georgetown University, Rabbi Scott M. Sperling, Regional Director of the Mid- Atlantic Council, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Fr. Peter Ruggere, Maryknoll Office of Peace and Justice, Imam Johari Abel, Muslim Chaplain at Howard University, Bishop Felton Edwin May, United Methodist Church Bishop of Greater Washington, Rev. Lynne Faris, National Presbyterian Church, Rev. Mark Brown, Director of Government Relations for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Dr. J. J. Philip Wogaman, Senior Pastor of Foundry United Methodist Church among others. This meeting took place at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C on March 26 at 11am.
Two years later on May 22–23 at the Arab League summit the Alexandria Declaration was rediscussed and a reform document with principles similar to the declaration. The main issues the Arab world had with the Alexandria Declaration and the Greater Middle East Initiative was the forcing of sovereign countries to reform and continued Palestinian conflict. Seeing the Palestinian issues as an obstacle to reform, it was agreed that a solution must precede major changes.

Process

The process has two dimensions: internal, relating to the residents of Israel/Palestine, and external. Internally, the goal is to stimulate the ongoing dialogue between religious leaders, which has not existed here before. Externally, there is a need to involve the leaders of key Muslim countries whose support will be vital if there is agreement on issues like Jerusalem and the holy sites.
A Permanent Committee for the Implementation of the Alexandria Declaration was formed to support the implementation of the declaration. In January 2004, Israeli rabbis participated in a Muslim peace conference in Cairo which formed part of the Alexandria Process.