Sunnis and Shiites: political interpretations of a religious dichotomy, Casa Arabe 21-22 October 2013

On the 21st and 22nd October, the Director of Forward Thinking, Oliver McTernan, attended a two day seminar  hosted by Casa Arabe in Cordoba. The seminar brought together international experts from across Europe, America and the Middle East, to explore the growth of sectarianism in the MENA region and to seek a better understanding of the causes and consequences of the widening gap between the two branches of Islam. The discussion examined if the apparent differences in Islam are the result of an exacerbation of a religious schism, or if they are instead the result of current geopolitical conditions. Other topics for discussion included the increasing confrontations in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt and the competition between Riyadh and TehranOliver was asked to speak at the seminar on the theme of "Dialogue and Mediation", in which he explored how dialogue can be a tool to challenge sectarianism and promote co-existence, reconciliation, convergence and knowing how to deal with disagreement.