The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) and the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) have joined together in a partnership that is outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation. This Memorandum, signed in October 2019, provides guidelines for cooperative efforts “for mutual understanding of cultures and for the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination.”
A joint project that is already underway is the publication of a collection of essays to be titled, “What Jerusalem Means to Us: Muslim Perspectives and Reflections”. It will be a companion volume to the book “What Jerusalem Means to Us: Christian Perspectives and Reflections” (https://hcef.org/publications/what-jerusalem-means-to-us/), which was published in 2018. The book of essays by Muslim authors will highlight the indissoluble and intimate connection between Islam and Jerusalem—a multi-faceted relationship with religious, historical, artistic, literary, political, and social aspects. As this Holy City has evolved, and continues to evolve, hopes for new realities must develop also.
The HCEF and the RIIFS are looking forward to future shared endeavors, with hopes for organizing conferences, seminars, and symposia, as well as additional joint publications, research projects, and training programs. In pursuing these goals, it is hoped that relationships can be developed with educational institutions that have active academic departments for Islamic Studies and Interfaith Studies.
MoU between RIIFS and HCEF