Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil
Encyclopedia
Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil is an Egypt
ian Christian civil engineer who is actively involved in projects advancing Arab-West and Muslim-Christian understanding. Sawsan Gabra is co-founder of Arab-West Report
. AWR was previously called Religious News Service from the Arab World
(RNSAW) (1997), and in 2005 founded the Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation
(CIDT). Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil also co-founded and first chaired the Center for Arab-West Understanding
(CAWU). All three organizations are based in Cairo, Egypt.
in Alexandria in 1988 she went to the Netherlands and studied at the University of Delft. She lived in the Netherlands from 1988 to 1994, became involved in intercultural and interfaith dialogue when she returned to Egypt with her husband.
After returning to Egypt, Sawsan Gabra discovered that several Western media and activists had misrepresented incidents involving Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt, and felt that Egyptian opinions had to be translated to show different views to a Western public. As a result, in 1997, she co-founded the Religious News Service from the Arab-World (RNSAW), predecessor of Arab-West Report.
Sawsan Gabra formed the selection criteria for Arab-West Report On a daily basis Sawsan selects articles for translation and coordinates this with the translators and editors. She is also a member of the editorial board of Arab-West Report
and provides analytical input for articles written for Arab-West Report.
In 2004 Sawsan Gabra became chair of the founders founding the Center for Arab-West Understanding
as an Egyptian non-government organization (NGO). The procedure took much time but her work was rewarded in January 2008 with the recognition of the NGO by the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity. Due to the delays in founding the NGO, she founded the civil company Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation, which has been providing translation and editing services for the weekly Arab-West Report since January 1, 2006.
Sawsan Gabra participated in several investigative reports whereby her Coptic Orthodox background facilitated contacts with Orthodox priests, bishops and organizations. She has contributed to interpreting events from the Egyptian context. She assisted the Anglican scholar Father Dr. John Watson in his research for his publication 'The Transfigured Cross; A Study of Father Bīshūy Kāmil,' and Coptologist Dr. Otto Meinardus in several of his studies.
Sawsan Gabra led in April 2008 the formulation of an Egyptian petition with Egyptian Christian and Muslim leaders and intellectuals against the film 'Fitna' by Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders
which was sent to the chair of the Dutch Parliament.
Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil has served as 'World Servants' country coordinator for Egypt since 1997, and coordinates 'World Servants' youth visits to Egypt for cultural exchange. In her professional work it is important to her to use one standard in dealing with people of all religions and convictions.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Christian civil engineer who is actively involved in projects advancing Arab-West and Muslim-Christian understanding. Sawsan Gabra is co-founder of Arab-West Report
Arab-West Report
Arab-West Report is an independent electronic magazine founded by Drs. Cornelis Hulsman and Eng. Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil in 1997, originally titled the Religious News Service from the Arab World...
. AWR was previously called Religious News Service from the Arab World
Religious News Service from the Arab World
The Religious News Service from the Arab World is the predecessor of the Arab-West Report and provided a weekly electronic digest of Arab Egyptian media, beginning in 1997....
(RNSAW) (1997), and in 2005 founded the Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation
Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation
The Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation is an Egyptian organization founded in 2005 to select, review, and translate Arab media publications The reviews are then published in the electronic magazine Arab-West Report....
(CIDT). Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil also co-founded and first chaired the Center for Arab-West Understanding
Center for Arab-West Understanding
The Center for Arab-West Understanding developed from the ideals of the Egyptian electronic magazine Arab-West Report. The request for Egyptian NGO status was filed in 2004 and obtained in January 2008 ....
(CAWU). All three organizations are based in Cairo, Egypt.
Life
Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil was born to a Coptic Orthodox family in 1963 in Alexandria, Egypt. She studied civil engineering at the University of Alexandria, Egypt, and after her marriage with Cornelis HulsmanCornelis Hulsman
Cornelis Hulsman is a Dutch sociologist who has been living in Egypt since 1994. He is currently the editor in chief of the Arab-West Report. AWR includes a weekly digest of various Egyptian press outlets...
in Alexandria in 1988 she went to the Netherlands and studied at the University of Delft. She lived in the Netherlands from 1988 to 1994, became involved in intercultural and interfaith dialogue when she returned to Egypt with her husband.
After returning to Egypt, Sawsan Gabra discovered that several Western media and activists had misrepresented incidents involving Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt, and felt that Egyptian opinions had to be translated to show different views to a Western public. As a result, in 1997, she co-founded the Religious News Service from the Arab-World (RNSAW), predecessor of Arab-West Report.
Sawsan Gabra formed the selection criteria for Arab-West Report On a daily basis Sawsan selects articles for translation and coordinates this with the translators and editors. She is also a member of the editorial board of Arab-West Report
Arab-West Report
Arab-West Report is an independent electronic magazine founded by Drs. Cornelis Hulsman and Eng. Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil in 1997, originally titled the Religious News Service from the Arab World...
and provides analytical input for articles written for Arab-West Report.
In 2004 Sawsan Gabra became chair of the founders founding the Center for Arab-West Understanding
Center for Arab-West Understanding
The Center for Arab-West Understanding developed from the ideals of the Egyptian electronic magazine Arab-West Report. The request for Egyptian NGO status was filed in 2004 and obtained in January 2008 ....
as an Egyptian non-government organization (NGO). The procedure took much time but her work was rewarded in January 2008 with the recognition of the NGO by the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity. Due to the delays in founding the NGO, she founded the civil company Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation, which has been providing translation and editing services for the weekly Arab-West Report since January 1, 2006.
Sawsan Gabra participated in several investigative reports whereby her Coptic Orthodox background facilitated contacts with Orthodox priests, bishops and organizations. She has contributed to interpreting events from the Egyptian context. She assisted the Anglican scholar Father Dr. John Watson in his research for his publication 'The Transfigured Cross; A Study of Father Bīshūy Kāmil,' and Coptologist Dr. Otto Meinardus in several of his studies.
Sawsan Gabra led in April 2008 the formulation of an Egyptian petition with Egyptian Christian and Muslim leaders and intellectuals against the film 'Fitna' by Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
which was sent to the chair of the Dutch Parliament.
Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil has served as 'World Servants' country coordinator for Egypt since 1997, and coordinates 'World Servants' youth visits to Egypt for cultural exchange. In her professional work it is important to her to use one standard in dealing with people of all religions and convictions.
Selected reports Sawsan Gabra contributed to
- 'Escalations following the alleged conversion of a priest’s wife to Islam'
- 'No evidence of forced conversion of Christians to Islam in Egypt'
- 'One-sided reporting about Egypt'
- 'Take facts about Christians in Egypt into consideration'
- 'To be an effective advocate for peace, media distortions must be addressed'