Pax Christi : Muslim dialogue: Peace-building

         

      Pax Christi Victoria

        International Christian Peace Movement

PO.Box 31

CARLTON SOUTH 3053

6 November 2015

Email: ahmkerr@hotmail.com   

Dear friends & members of the ANZAC Centenary Peace Coalition.,

An invitation to another organisation’s AGM might seem like the ultimate turn off.

Nevertheless Pax Christi Victoria does warmly invite you to our AGM for the following reasons:

We live at a time when relations between the West and Islam are at low ebb. This raises troubling but unavoidable questions for all of us.

How should we relate to our Muslim brothers and sisters in Australia at what is a rather difficult time for them? Many Muslims feel isolated, harassed and humiliated by the words and actions of politicians, important sections of the media and bigoted elements of society.

To help us think through this and other questions we have invited Ghaith Krayem to address us on the occasion of Pax Christi’s Annual General Meeting on Sunday 15 November, at 2.00 pm.

Ghaith was until recently president of the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), the umbrella body of the Muslim communities of Victoria which brings together some fifty member and affiliated organisations. In his position as president and before that as Secretary of ICV, he has played an important leadership role in guiding the Muslim community’s response to terrorist incidents, the government’s counter-terrorism policies and so-called deradicalisation strategies.

Ghaith is one of Australia’s most thoughtful Muslim leaders, articulate and outspoken, with a firm grasp of the needs of Muslim communities and of the diverse views and traditions within Islam. He has at the same time a sharp understanding of how mainstream society operates. Ghaith has held many senior positions within Australia Post, and presently runs his own consultancy Hikmah Consulting.

Ghaith Krayem’s address on Sunday 15 November and the lively discussion that will no doubt follow will help Pax Christi and its friends, supporters and partner organisations to develop a clear set of objectives, strategies and actions over the coming year. The issues to be dealt with are morally and politically challenging. They include:

·                     Christian-Muslim relations

·                     Appropriate responses to terrorism and the ‘war on terror’

·                     Practical ways of promoting a peaceful end to the conflict in Syria

·                     Australia’s role in the Middle East

·                     The dangers posed by the Sunni-Shia divide within Islam

·                     The need to rethink the future shape of interfaith dialogue and multicultural Australia.

The address by Ghaith is open to the public. So, please bring the event to the attention of people in your networks, and feel free to mention it to your social media contacts, whether through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or other avenues.

I very much hope that you will be able to join us for this crucial discussion on 15^th November.

Sunday 15 November,  Kildara Centre rear, 39 Stanhope St, Malvern

1 p.m. Shared meal to which you are warmly invited. Bring some food to share.

2 p.m. Address & discussion, Ghaith Krayem until 3.30

Don’t feel obliged to stay for the AGM business. (Actually we lock the doors & don’t let you out until you have agreed to join the committee!)

Warm regards.

Harry Kerr, Convenor, Pax Christi Victoria

Rev Harry Kerr
101 Katrina Street,
BLACKBURN NORTH,
Victoria Australia 3130
Phone +613 (0) 9893 4946
Mon +61 (0) 424 950 852