Rev. Mitri Raheb (standing, far right) speaking at the international conference in Limassol. (Photo courtesy of Dar al-Kalima University)

LIMASSOL, December 2, 2017 (WAFA) – The issue of migration, displacement and demographic changes in the Arab world was the subject of an international conference hosted by the Bethlehem-based Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Christian Academic Forum for Citizenship in the Arab World (CAFCAW).

A Century of Migration, Displacement and Diaspora: Demographic Shifts in the Arab World - 1917-2017” was the title of the conference that convened in Limassol, Cyprus, according to a press release by Dar al-Kalima.

The Reverend Mitri Raheb, president of Dar Al Kalama University, opened the conference with a speech in which he discussed the most important challenges facing the Arab world today - migration and displacement. He said 20 percent of the world’s refugees are from the Arab world, where the Syrians and Palestinians make the bulk of them.

Sessions at the  conference discussed the situation of refugees from Syria and Palestine and their cooptation in their new societies, whether in Europe or the Middle East, as well as the situation of Egypt’s Coptic community and the role of the churches in Europe in helping refugees adjust to life in their new societies.

Academic researchers from 11 countries and 24 regional and international universities participated in the conference.

Dar al-Kalima University teaches performing and visual arts, in addition to design and tourism.

CAFCAW was launched in Beirut in December 2014 by the Bethlehem-based DIYAR Consortium. It focuses its activities on Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Iraq.

M.K.