Transcribed, condensed and edited for clarity

Question: Archbishop Mouneer stepped down from the ACC. Was Bishop Dawani surprised and what would he have done in his shoes?
Answer: It was a personal decision, he was not representing the whole province. It was done without consultation with the bishops.

Question: Only 2% of the population is Christian that number is declining. Are Muslims being evangelised; is any attempt being made to convert those of other faiths to Christianity?
Answer: No, we are not evangelical. We are trying to keep indigenous Christians; our whole work and effort is to keep the “living stones” there.

Question: How critical for your church is Canadian support? How best can the Canadian Church support the peace process?
Answer: Any attempt to support the peace process is welcome and will encourage people to stay. A just peace is good for everybody.

Question: The GAFCON conference wanted to meet in Jerusalem, but initially, there was a problem.
Answer: When they decided to come, they did not consult me. I learned that they were coming from the press. I told them they should have informed me; we already have enough issues in Jerusalem without people coming to promote division. Anyhow, I welcomed them -200 bishops. My message was very clear: Jerusalem is for unity, not division.

Question: You live in an area that inspires strongly opposed political views; how do you separate your ministry as a Christian from politics?
Answer: As church leaders, we are not political; what we are trying to do is bring about genuine peace using all avenues. We try to promote co-existence between all groups – this is what is needed. Personally I don’t make any political statements; what I do is church work – but sometimes you can’t separate politics from religion. We have to be careful to keep a balance.

Question: How does is the continuing crisis in the Middle East affecting people?
Answer: Everyone is very much affected by what is going on. The continuing violence is making life harsh, especially for the Palestinian people who are experiencing more suffering. We must not give the extremists the upper hand. Women have lost their jobs because they have had to line up at checkpoints for 2 or 3 hours to get to work. For the same reason, some cannot come to church.

Question: What percentage of the children attending the Diocesan schools is Muslim?
Answer: At the last graduation, all the students were Muslims. Generally it’s 70% Muslim and 10% Christian.

Question: In Montreal there has been a move to ban the wearing of burkas, something the Diocese of Montreal opposes. Comment?
Answer (Shafeeqa): Women should not allow themselves to wear a burka: they  would all look alike and they would not even be able to identify each other – even if the veil is removed.