World Vision has appointed Dr Chawkat Moucarry as its first World Religions Specialist, as the international relief and development charity continues to develop its world mission emphasis.

|PIC1|Dr Moucarry's role will be to promote reconciliation and understanding between faiths by supporting World Vision national offices that work in countries where the majority of the population adhere to other world religions, he will also help World Vision staff relate to people of other faiths as well as to support staff who practise other religions.

"I am very happy to take this challenge because I come from Syria, a majority Islamic society, and I feel very strongly about development work," said Dr Moucarry.

Describing how he envisions his role, he explains, "Firstly, it is important to build bridges and therefore identify the common ground we have with people of other faiths. We are all human beings and we must relate to one another at this level regardless of religious backgrounds. As we develop trusting relationships, we can find common ground."

Dean Hirsch, President of World Vision International, said, "Faith relations are one of the premier challenges facing our work in the field. Promoting dialogue and reconciliation is as critical as ever. It is also a mission fraught with danger. In many contexts, living out God's' love demands sensitivity and spiritual wisdom. With Dr Moucarry's expertise and experience, I am confident he can teach us a lot."

Dr Moucarry is an expert in Muslim-Christian relations and will also be involved in other aspects of World Vision's work relating to different world religions.

For the past 12 years he has been a professor at All Nations Christian College in London and worked previously with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) for 12 years.

He has written extensively and his publications include: "Faith to Faith: Christianity and Islam in Dialogue', 'The Search for Forgiveness: Pardon and Punishment in Islam and Christianity,' and 'The Prophet and the Messiah: An Arab Christian's Perspective on Islam and Christianity'.