On Thursday 5th May, a delegation of Middle Eastern academics, policy advisors and religious leaders has concluded a two-week tour across the US. The event has been sponsored by the Church World Service (CWS) Middle East Forum and has made important steps in enhancing the interfaith relationship.

Over the past year, there has been a growing misunderstanding between Christians and Muslims, especially those in Middle East and America. The rift between Christians and Muslims in both countries was to a large extent triggered by the 9/11 terrorist attacks related to Islamic extremists. Since then, a prevailing American stereotype against Muslims and Arabs has arisen and it has also been spreading to other European countries.

The delegation visiting the US has been formed by members from Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. They met with Christians across the US - particularly conservative Christians­ and with Arab American Muslims and Christians. They carried the objective of correcting distorted stereotypes of Christians and Muslims in the Middle East as being in a pervasive culture clash, according to a press release from CWS.

Important remarks concerning terrorism and extremism have been made by the delegates during presentations in Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles, New York and Washington. While many mass media groups have often falsely given the impression that terrorism is a "Muslim-sponsored" movement, the delegates demanded a clear cut distinction between religions and terrorism.

Lebanon’s Muhammad Sammak, former advisor to late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and the Grand Mufti of Lebanon urged, "People should disengage religion from terrorism. Terrorism in the Middle East is not always defined in religious terms nor confined to Muslims."

Egyptian delegate Nadia Mahmoud Mustafa, a political science professor at Cairo University, told representatives of the House Committee on International Relations, "The world is destabilised by terrorism in all its forms. Every kind of extremism threatens the world’s stability."

Instead of focusing on the difference between the two religions, the delegates showed a willingness to unite the two religions by their common vision to make the world a better place.

CWS liaison to the Middle East Forum David Weaver, said the delegates pointed out that in the Middle East, Christians and Muslims have been living together for over a thousand years.

Delegate Samir Morcos, an Egyptian Christian, said, "One common misunderstanding we encountered was the perception that Christians in the Middle East all live in an enclosed enclave in their own religious community, without involvement in the life of their respective societies. There’s this Christian community on one side and Muslims on the other."

"More commonly," he said, "Christians are not separate but integrated into their communities."

Overall, the delegation was very satisfied with the impact of the tour. A similar misunderstanding was seen among the problems - the lack of awareness as well as the false image portrayed in the mass media; the tour has had good educational value.

CWS liaison to the Middle East Forum David Weaver said, "the delegation met with very positive responses in many places. Many who attended the sessions said they were leaving thinking about the concept of interfaith in a new way and thinking about the Middle East in a new way.

"Some came up and thanked the group for actually transforming their viewpoints."

The Middle East delegates said one of the realisations they would take back to people in their countries was "seeing first hand the positive and understanding role of mainline churches in the US in helping perpetuate peace and balanced views of Islam and Christianity."

As a non-proselytising faith-based humanitarian agency, global CWS is a long-standing supporter of developmental, emergency aid, refugee and advocacy programs in the Middle East. The just-ended delegation is the product of two years of planning between the two organisations.