Interfaith Encounter Association - History

History

In the fall of 2001 – in the wake of over a year of violence in the Middle East (from the Second Intifada) and the September 11 attacks in the U.S. – the newly-formed IEA set itself to the task of building and strengthening a grassroots interfaith movement for peace, justice, and sustainability in the Holy Land and in the Middle East. Envisioning a society in which the "otherness" of "the other" is not only accepted, but truly understood and respected, the IEA dedicated itself to promoting real coexistence and human peace in the Middle East through cross-cultural study and inter-religious dialogue.

The IEA was founded on the following principles and goals:

• Equal representation of all faiths in the IEA.
• Gender equality in the decision making processes and activities of the IEA.
• Outreach to individuals and communities from all faiths, age groups, walks of life, and levels of society.
• Outreach to individuals and communities across the religious-secular and political spectra.
• Continual recruitment via committed activists on the local and regional levels.
• Implementation of interactive programs that effectively change outlooks and attitudes, such as extended weekend seminars and ongoing study groups.
• Continual development of new models for effective encounter.
• Ongoing evaluation of all strategies and programs.

Since 2001, the IEA has grown from just six groups to forty six, with a growth of an estimated amount of 800 participants to an estimated amount of 6000 participants.