Time: 2 November 2015 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location: Committee Room 3, House of Lords
The Christians in Parliament APPG and the APPG on International Freedom of Religion or Belief warmly invite you to a briefing on Christianity in the Middle East on Monday 2 November from 17:00-18:30 in Committee Room 3, House of Lords. Please find full event details below:
Title: ‘Christians in the Middle East: A Different Perspective’
Speakers:
- Revd Canon Andy Thompson, Chaplain of St Andrew’s Church, Abu Dhabi
- Gerard Russell, former UN and British diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East
- Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, Co-Chair of the APPG on International Freedom of Religion or Belief
Location: Committee Room 3, House of Lords
Time: Monday 2nd November, 17:00-18:30
The event will be an informal briefing for Members, with a time for Q&A following the main presentations. Please see below for further biographical information on the two external speakers.
RSVP to Katharine Thane at katharinee.thane@parliament.uk or x2446.
Reverend Canon Andrew (Andy) Thompson has lived in the Middle East and the Gulf for much of his life and joined St Andrew’s Church in Abu Dhabi in June 2010. He is the longest serving Anglican clergyman in the Gulf having previously lived and worked in Bahrain and Kuwait. He was ordained in 2000 and holds degrees in Behavioural Sciences and Islamic Studies. Andy was awarded the MBE in Her Majesty the Queen’s 2011 Honours List for his contribution to inter-faith relations and his work in Kuwait. He was made an Honorary Canon of Bahrain Cathedral in August 2011. He has written a number of books including Jesus of Arabia and Christianity in the UAE.
Gerard Russell is a former United Nations and British diplomat. During his time with the British Foreign Service, which took him to Cairo, Jerusalem, Baghdad, Jeddah and Kabul, he was described as ‘the foremost expert on the Islamic world in his generation’. In 2009, he moved to the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He is author of Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East.