Al Amana Centre Newsletter 09/2026

As my summer time in the US comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my own personal role in bridging divides between the places I call home. The US is the country and place of my birth and early life formation. As my wife and I return to Oman, without either of our kids, for the first time in 13 years, it feels like a home coming, even as we leave parts of our hearts with our boys as they study in the US.

I have expressed, multiple times, as I have spoken to churches and other communities that I feel like I spend a lot of time in the US telling people that my Muslim and Arab friends in Oman and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region are generally peaceful people who abhor the violence perpetrated by people claiming to be Muslims. Likewise, I spend a lot of time and energy telling people in the MENA region that Americans and Christians are generally peaceful people who abhor the violence perpetrated by the US in the region and that Christians are also people of peace.

Another thing that I have noticed is that the news broadcast in the US is generally ignorant of what is actually happening in the MENA region, and when it does report on happenings, the information is either incomplete, extremely biased, un-nuanced, or all of the above. I have learned to have great compassion for many people because I have learned they simply do not know and do not have access to information about what is actually happening. It is hard to be angry at people who don’t have people telling them or teaching them about what is happening.

This summer I have made it my personal mission, and by extension the mission of Al Amana Centre, to help be a teacher of what is going on from our perspective, and to highlight the voices of people in the MENA region to be heard by our American audiences. Even so, it often feels like a huge uphill struggle. There are times it feels like digging sand from a pit, only to have more sand come rushing in as the media presence that is mis-informing people is loud and persistent.

Yet there are glimpses of hope. I recently received an email from someone in rural Minnesota who again thanked me for coming to the “middle of nowhere” to be with them and that they were still reflecting weeks later on my sermon and what I taught them.

Another glimpse of hope was when a couple from New York, who initially had apprehensions about coming to Oman in January, drove from their church home to hear me preach in a neighboring village. During a question-and-answer time when I was talking about Islam being a peaceful religion, they vocally came to my defense and joined me in explaining their transformative experience at Al Amana Centre.

What we do and say matters. While what we do won’t convince or be convincing to all we encounter, there will always be some who are transformed by our work. In this season, the work of Al Amana Centre, and all of individually, working for peace and understanding is so important we must:

1. Not give up!
2. Keep encouraging each other even if forces from all sides would advocate for violence and the destruction of the “other.”

Peace to you all, as we work to be peacemakers in this world, no matter what religion or faith tradition we claim for ourselves.

Rev Justin Meyers
Executive Director

Reflections from Participants

Based on responses from our surveys we have found that a majority of Christians and Muslims have not spent any quality time with someone of a different religious tradition or background.

• “Meeting with Omani youngsters for the first time was most impactful for me. That was the first time I actually had a chance to talk to a muslim and really deep dive. I learned about their faith and customs around religion but also found people really similar to me with the same interests.”
• “I’ve seen how political tensions in Bethlehem often create distance between Christians and Muslims, even though we live side by side.”
• “We live in a very mono-culture when it comes to religion and race. It is not a lack of interest, but more a lack of opportunity.”
• “I think that my community faces challenges in having little exposure to people of other religions, and simultaneously not seeking out opportunities to have these encounters. My area is a pocket that contains lots of Christian churches, and it feels very natural for people in my community to stay in those comfort zones. Additionally, I think that there can be fear that comes with unfamiliarity.”

Executive Director Justin will speak at several places in the US this coming summer and he would love to meet you:
Sept 13 The Community Church, Ada, MI

Would you like Justin to speak at your church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or institution?
Please contact us at info@alamanacentre.org with the subject “Speaking Request”.