The 4th Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace,
Edinburgh, Scotland, Wednesday 7 February – Sunday 11 March 2007.

Festival Schedule, Brochure, Poster and Registration Forms

The Festival Schedule, Brochure, Poster and Registration Forms for the 2007 Middle East Festival are available for downloading in the Downloads section of this website under MESP 2007. The Festival Schedule can also be viewed through the Events Calendar.

MESP 2004-2006 Festival Archive

MESP 2004-2006 Archive (articles, press releases, sound files) can be accessed through the link in the Links/Resources section of this website.

Festival Introduction and Welcome

From Wednesday 7 February – Sunday 11 March 2007 the 4th Annual Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace will bring together people from a wide range of spiritual backgrounds, educators, teachers and scholars, people from artistic and cultural backgrounds, people from diverse cultures and traditions, and people from across Scotland and internationally. More generally, all of the principal faith and spiritual traditions of Scotland have been invited to participate in this spiritual, educational, artistic and cultural, and international festival which celebrates peace and mutual understanding. The Festival is jointly organized by the Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities, EICWS, and the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning, EIAL.

Festival Organisation

The two organizations who organize this Festival, namely, the Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities, EICWS, and the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning, EIAL, have contributed major in-kind support for this Festival, and without their major networking, planning, management, and coordinating role this Festival would not have been possible. The Festival is a joint initiative of these two organizations, among their projects and initiatives, and is co-directed by Neill Walker, on behalf of EICWS, and Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz, on behalf of EIAL

Festival Sponsorship and Support

The Festival organisers would like to acknowledge and thank those organisations and individuals who have offered financial and in-kind support to this Festival.

Financial support towards the Festival in general has come from the Scottish Executive, the City of Edinburgh Council, the Oneness Project, the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, the UK Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, the Shalem Institute, the Kalliopeia Foundation, the Altajir Trust, the Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities, EICWS, and the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning, EIAL. Support for individual events is listed beside the event itself.

In-kind support has come from organizations who we have worked with to organize specific Festival events. These numerous organizations are listed beside the specific events which they have been involved with. Further in-kind support has come from a wide range of hosting and supporting organizations and individuals.

Festival Ethos

The Festival positively affirms the diversity contained within the religious and spiritual, educational, artistic and cultural, ethnic, and international traditions of the Middle East, as well as those here in Scotland. The Festival takes no fixed position on any political, ethical or cultural question. We intend rather to create a forum in which we can listen to one another more deeply and learn with a more open mind and heart. The emphasis of the Festival is on spirituality, and on spiritual, educational, and artistic and cultural approaches to peace and mutual understanding while celebrating Scotland in international terms. Most of the Festival events are held in Edinburgh, and we are opening up the Festival to events in other parts of Scotland. There are five main strands to the 2007 Middle East Festival, namely:

1. spirituality, and relations among spiritual and faith traditions;
2. education and audience development;
3. arts and culture;
4. celebrating the diversity of Scotland;
5. celebrating Scotland in international terms.

The Festival brings together at least three different kinds of presentations. First, we hope to learn from each other about our shared traditions, as well as those that form the unique voice of any one of us. Second, we will hear from those who have been active in peacemaking on a spiritual basis on the ground in the Middle East. Third, we invite participants to share in the musical and devotional spiritual practice presented, in order to gain an experiential view of the traditions that we discuss.

One of the Festival’s overriding aims is to contribute to peace and mutual understanding through dialogue, spiritual and artistic practice, and improved mutual understanding among the religious and spiritual traditions that have arisen in what is now known as the Middle East, and more generally among those who have found a home in Scotland and the UK. Accordingly, the Festival seeks to engage a progressively wider and more diverse range of participants who have been active in spiritual and artistic approaches to non-violent conflict resolution and world peace. No speaker represents, or can represent, the totality of any tradition.

Festival participants are invited to shape their own experience during the Festival, and to take personal responsibility for participating as peacemakers and community builders. In particular, participants are invited to take personal responsibility for processing any conflicts or obstacles to peace that they experience, and for self-evaluating their own participation as peacemakers and community builders for the benefit of their wider life experience.

Conflict and obstacles to peace are of central importance in the lives of peacemakers and community builders. They hold seeds for our spiritual and creative development, and can provide energy to sustain such development. The Festival provides many opportunities to engage spiritually, creatively and non-violently with conflict and obstacles to peace in supportive and non-judgmental environments, allowing participants the opportunity to transform conflicts and obstacles to peace into new perspectives, insights and actions.

The Festival is managed as a charitable event for wide public benefit, and all events in the Festival should reflect the Festival Equality and Diversity Ethos.

Disclaimer

All events were as correct as could be ascertained at the time of going to press. The Festival organisers will not be held responsible for any errors in the listings in this guide or changes to any advertised programme. People attending Festival events are responsible for their own belongings. If you are travelling from any significant distance to a Festival event, then it is important to confirm the final arrangements close to the date of the event.

The opinions expressed by all speakers at the Festival are their own individual views and should not be identified with those of the Festival organizers or sponsors or with those of any particular religious or spiritual organization, tradition or community. One of the primary principles of the Festival is that all mystical and prophetic voices for non-violence and peace should be allowed a hearing, without censorship or prior vetting.

Festival and Conference Directors:
Neill Walker and Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz.

Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities,
EICWS, Scottish Charity, SC030155,
4, William Black Place, South Queensferry, Edinburgh, EH30 9PZ.
T: +44 (0) 131 331 4469, E: njwalk5300@hotmail.co.uk, W: www.eicws.org

Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning, EIAL,
42/4 Sciennes, Edinburgh, EH9 1NL. Scotland, UK.
Mobile: +44 (0) 7766 704 879, E: ndk@eial.org, W: www.eial.org