Under the title “The Religious Education in the Schools”, Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Association hosted a new workshop that brought together students from Al-Makassed schools and from Antonin Institute-Baabda. The workshop comes within the project “Young Journalists Activists to Promote Dialogue between Religions”, is carried out by Nahar Achabab with the participation of Assafadi Foundation, funded by EU and managed by OMSAR.
In the beginning, the coordinator of the seminars held within the inter-religious dialogue project, Ms. Pascale Azar underlined the reason behind choosing the above topic. She said “this choice stems from our belief that the school is the student’s second home. On its benches the child grows up to become a man and an active member in the society. In the school, he learns the values and the principles that make him a man who loves, respects, listens and lives with the other who might be different from him, in terms of religion, color, race, opinion…”

The seminar was moderated by the director of the Educational Affairs at Al-Makassed Association, Dr. Kamel Dalal.
The Head of Mar Antonios monastery and of Antonin Institute-Baabda, Father Boutros Azar considered in his speech that “the school in Lebanon should be a melting pot where should be taught the belief in God, the respect of the other’s ideology and rites within an open multilateral dialogue-based education”. Azar was surprised how some are opposed to the religious education within the schools, while they should be opposed to the schools that are based on fanaticism. Azar also underscored that “the authentic religious education does not represent any danger to the youth. The danger, according to Azar, comes from those who exploit the religious education for their personal interests and to keep the new generations away from the right and the good and to prevent them facing the challenges posed by the violence, the money and the hostilities.
The second speech was delivered by the director of the Faculty of Khaled Bin Walid, Ms. Hiba Nachabeh, who raised many questions, including the following: “Do the religious education, the religion or the piousness represent the urgent national cause that are dividing us, bringing us together or preoccupying us? If the religion in itself is the cause of the national disintegration, the human divide, the wars and the tragedies, then it is necessary for each one of us to reconsider their religion. However, there is no doubt that the religion in itself is not the cause of these problems, rather its politicization and its use for political and economic interests”. Nachabeh added “we are facing a cultural, social and political crisis not a religious one…. Hence, by abolishing the confessional system we can not abolish the religion or the religious education process. So, let us acknowledge that the problem is that of a politician, a citizen and nation. From my point of view, the solution lies in drafting a program that unifies the national and religious education. If we teach the Muslim about the Christianity and about all the other religions and civilizations and vice versa, our concept of the human being will remain a theoretical one, for not each Muslim is a true Muslim and not each Christian is a true Christian. Each person’s being is molded by their environment, as well as by their social, economical, familial, historical and class-related context. The solution cannot be the increase in, reduction or canceling of the hours of religious education, it rather lies in how to build the personality of the person or student”.
The speeches were followed by a debate between the audience, consisting of students and teachers, who came out with the following ideas:

-Not to teach a child who is less than 8 years old a religion other than his.
-To get to know, to accept and to respect the other confessional communities.
-The seclusion comes from the ignorance of the other; respecting the other and listening to their point of view are very important.
-One can not get to know the other through words. The true knowledge is based on the love of the other as they are with all their defects. The respect is to agree with the other on the national principles.
-The faith should be coupled with deeds.
-The religious teaching is dangerous, for it can reflect the disintegration and the divide in a given country. Therefore, the problem does not lie in the religious teaching rather in the purpose sought after.
-The mass media can reflect a positive or a negative image of the other’s religion.
-The change of the mentalities and of the perspective towards the religious teaching should start from the top to the bottom of the pyramid.
-The development of the national education curriculum so that it will include information concerning the religions practiced in Lebanon and the common denominator between them.
-The religious teaching should not be mixed up with the belonging to a confessional group or with the religious fanaticism.
-The objective of the religious teaching is to know God, and God wants us to worship Him and to build the earth on the respect and acceptance of the other.