CITIZEN DIPLOMACY TOURS TO THE MIDDLE EAST
MEJDI is proud to offer an utterly new form of citizen diplomacy and conflict resolution in the form of ‘Citizen Diplomacy Tours’. These tours have been conceived and co-created by Rabbi Dr. Marc Gopin, with 25 years experience in the field, and Aziz Abu Sarah, one of the leading Palestinian peacemakers—and tour leaders–with ten years experience. The tours will always be led by Arab and Jewish partners equally, which is a design that specifically responds to:
- The problems associated with one-sided, ‘propoganda’ tours.
- Past mistakes of international and regional efforts of conflict resolution.
The tours are designed to accomplish three things at once:
- Educate the tour participants in two narratives equally as they seek to understand and play a constructive role as global citizen diplomats and peacemakers.
- Support local honest businesses in the marketplaces we will visit.
- Bolster peacemakers on all sides equally by paying for their extensive participation in the tour.
‘Citizen Diplomacy Tours’ are a unique tour option offered by MEJDI and designed in partnership the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) at George Mason University.
The key to our method is flexibility with the social network of each tour. We will tailor tours for each group that comes forward as to when, where, and how these tours will take place. We are already working with individuals who have a particular social network, such as a religious network, interfaith network, or even a particular extended family’s interests, such as life-cycle ritual in the Holy Land as the theme of their tour. For example, let us say that there is a city in the United States where a loose network of people have done great interfaith work together, but the Middle East is a source of mystery, tension, or misunderstanding. We step in with the best team available of Christians, Jews and Muslims who can introduce the participants to the full reality of the situation, but also give them an inspiring and enjoyable opportunity to embrace the peacemakers, and learn about citizen diplomacy first hand with leading experts. They will also experience some of the most meaningful sites in the Abrahamic traditions, all the while staying in wonderful hotels and eating delicious food!
We are aware of the great diversity of age groups, ethnic groups, and political orientations, all of whom have an interest in peace in the Middle East, despite their differences. That is why the flexibility of our method will make it very easy for people of great diversity to support the best peacemakers, honest businesspeople on both sides, and at the same time have a fabulous educational experience.
Ready to begin planing a tour with us?
EMAIL SCOTT COOPER AT MEJDI.NET@GMAIL.COM TO GET STARTED!
“Click here” to download a sample flyer. Please note this is only a sample. Prices, dates and partners subject to change.
