Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs
Encyclopedia
The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) was founded in March 1987 by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi
and by a group of Palestinian
academics and intellectuals in Jerusalem. PASSIA is an Arab
non-profit institution located in Jerusalem with a financially and legally independent status. PASSIA seeks to present the question of Palestinian national determination in its Palestinian-national, Arab and international contexts through academic research, dialogue, and publication.
PASSIA believes that:
See also: Palestinian homeland
Mahdi Abdul Hadi
Mahdi Abdul Hadi studied law at Damascus University in Syria becoming a lawyer on graduation.In the 1970s Abdul Hadi and Yousef Nasser founded Al-Fajr newspaper to promote debate about the Palestinian issue. In 1977 he founded the Arab Thought Forum, a Palestinian think-tank that inspired and...
and by a group of Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
academics and intellectuals in Jerusalem. PASSIA is an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
non-profit institution located in Jerusalem with a financially and legally independent status. PASSIA seeks to present the question of Palestinian national determination in its Palestinian-national, Arab and international contexts through academic research, dialogue, and publication.
PASSIA believes that:
- ChristianChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, MuslimIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and JewishJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
communities in the region have enormous potential to either encourage peaceful coexistence or support sectarian hatred - Religious dialogue can help in building bridges and dispelling existing stereotypes
- The three monotheistic faiths have bases of unity among them and others may be discovered in the course of such a dialogue.
See also: Palestinian homeland