The Arab Baptist School for Theological Studies (ABTS) has opened the new Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES), the first of its kind, in Lebanon. It is hoped the new Institute will provide bring about a deeper understanding and respect between Christians and Muslims around the world.

Doctor Martin Accad said at the Institute’s inauguration ceremony on Sunday: "IMES is a response to the increasingly urgent need to dispel mutually-false perceptions between people of different religions and cultures."

The Institute aims to increase general awareness about social and political realities in the region while providing Evangelical Christians with resources specifically tailored to the needs of the Arab world and Among Arab communities around the globe, said Accad, the Academic dean of ABTS.

"As such, IMES is geared primarily toward community and religious workers active in the Arab world or among Arab communities worldwide," he said.

"It is also geared toward leaders of Christian organisations based in and focused on the Arab world, as well as theology students, Christian instructors and researchers in Middle East studies."