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Welcome to the Department of Religious Studies

Towards a better Understanding at the Service of Peace and Justice in Holy Land

International Summer School - 2010

The summer school will offer international students, both from Europe, the United Sates and elsewhere, the opportunity to study in the Holy Land, to have a first hand knowledge of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the situation of human rights and responsibilities in Palestine/Israel. The semester will offer a life-long experience of the situation, through living with Palestinian families, visits to the Palestinian areas, meetings with human rights groups, encounters with religious and political personalities, and discussion with Palestinian students.

Last Updated ( Monday, 15 February 2010 )

Overcoming religious prejudices through education:

the experience of Bethlehem University

by: Fr. Jamal Khader

* Fr. Jamal Khader, a Palestinian Catholic priest from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, is a professor of theology at the Latin Seminary (Beit Jala), Chairperson of the Department of Religious Studies, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Bethlehem University. This article is part of a special series on freedom of religion in Israel and the Palestinian Authority and was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

BETHLEHEM - A Christian professor teaches about Jesus Christ, the Church, and the Holy Trinity at a Catholic university. It may seem normal to do so, except that 75 percent of the students are Muslim. This is a required course at Bethlehem University, and the course titled “religious cultural studies” is co-taught by a Christian professor and a Muslim one.