Thirty people from seven countries and two religions came together for two weeks, to engage in and discuss Christian-Muslim dialogue and the ways in which dialogue can be carried out. They were brought together by the Forum for Development, Culture and Dialogue (FDCD) and the Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Dialogue (AGCMD) from the Middle East , Europe and North America , and over the time they were together they came to appreciate, not only the common things that united them, but the ways in which their differences made them distinct.

Although the participants were young, this was not a "youth conference" in which tough issues were sidestepped and left to the elders. Serious questions were asked and answered on the fears and tensions between Muslims and Christians, between East and West and between the different nationalities of the region.

The overriding theme of the discussions of dialogue was of "mutual respect" - of the importance of each person recognizing the legitimacy of the other's beliefs, of listening with attention, and of explaining one's own beliefs in a way that comes from the heart.

In their working sessions, the group took a look at the holy texts of the two religions, analyzing similar passages to see how they were similar, what points they had in common, as well as how the differences were viewed in each faith tradition. They also discussed issues of heaven and hell, of personal faith, and how religion can be used for bad purposes and how this misuse can be avoided. As one participant observed, “Before I came to this conference, I thought I understood Islam because I had read the Qur’an, but I now realize that you need to ask Muslims who actually practice their faith how they interpret things.”

During their two weeks, split between Lebanon and Syria, the group met and discussed with leaders from Christian and Muslim organizations, including Rev. John Hoover of the Near East School of Theology; Ibrahim Shemseddine of the Mehdi Shemseddine Foundation; Bishop Matta Roham, bishop of Hassakeh for the Syriac Orthodox Church; Father Paolo Dall’Oglio of the Mar Musa monastery in Nabek; and Sheikh Salah Kuftaro of the Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro Foundation in Damascus. These leaders, though coming from many different faith traditions, were united in affirming the importance of dialogue, of mutual respect, and of the positive value of religious diversity in the world today.

Having spent two weeks together, sharing grueling bus rides across the desert and long and intense sessions of dialogue, the group of thirty new friends dispersed, determined to keep in touch and to build towards better coexistence and dialogue in each of their countries. To that end, they have established an email group and will work on local events, and FDCD will hold an annual conference modeled on this first one.