Al Amana Newsletter 03/2026 – Al Amana Centre

Director’s Corner

A visit to share and explore

Dear Al Amana Centre friends

For Al Amana Centre, maintaining and strengthening international relations is fundamental to our mission of promoting mutual understanding and peace. Engaging with global partners allows us to share our unique perspective on interfaith dialogue and cooperation while gaining insights from diverse cultural and diplomatic contexts. These connections enhance our visibility and effectiveness on the international stage. For this purpose the executive director of Al Amana Centre and the associate director received an invitation from Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center in Washington, D.C (SQCC) to present about the history of the American mission in Oman and the current work of Al Amana Centre. Our visit to the SQCC served as a vital touchpoint in these ongoing efforts. The SQCC plays a crucial role in promoting Omani culture and heritage in the United States. During the visit, we:

– Presented about the history of the American mission in Oman
– Presented about the current work and future plans for Al Amana Centre
– Potential collaborations between our organizations to further cultural exchange and mutual understanding.

The visit reinforced the strong ties between our regions and underscored the value of continued collaboration in the heart of the U.S. capital. We look forward to building upon the foundations laid during this trip to further the goals of Al Amana Centre.

Best regards,

Mohammed Al Shuaili
Associate Director

At Sultan Qaboos Cultural Centre in Washington, D.C.

(left to right) Justin Meyers, Sabra Al Hooti, Deputy Chief of Mission,

Dr Majid Al Khalili, Executive Director of SQCC and Mohammed Al Shuaili.

Reflections from participants

There are three problems Al Amana Centre is trying to solve:

Our world is scarred with the perception and reality of violence, fear, and conflict based in religious difference and isolation.
A global lack of relationship leads to a religious isolation and distance that increases ignorance and misunderstanding.
A majority of Christians and Muslims have not spent any quality time with someone of a different religious tradition or background.

We know these problems exist because group after group, participants share their experiences from their own communities around the world:

“I had a conversation with someone recently and mentioned I would be going to Oman. He told me that I had better “be careful” and proceeded to go on and on about assumptions he has about the Middle East and Muslims in general.”

“My family did not all approve of me coming on this trip. Some of them were very upset, in fact. In the US, you don’t have to look far to find misconceptions and ignorance regarding the Middle East. I hope that the way my perceptions have been shaped can help others to do the same. I hope I can tell stories to the people in my life, and instead of the stories of the media, with war and conflict, they will be stories about the relationships and experiences I have had.”

“I have recently started to get more involved with interfaith programming in Grand Rapids. When I let some of my friends know this, they responded by expressing a lot of hesitancy. I attributed this reluctance to fear on their behalf that engaging in interfaith and peacekeeping might lead me to leave my faith tradition.”

“I’ve seen how political tensions in Bethlehem often create distance between Christians and Muslims, even though we live side by side.”

As mentioned in past newsletters, our solutions to these issues are: to provide a place for relationship, offer a global context, and move participants along a path from tolerance toward salam/shalom through experiential learning experiences.

“I will go back to my community with a new outlook and different set of eyes. To open others eyes even in small ways. To show love and compassion to others who may not look like or act like I do. To search for groups who have not been seen as they truly are will be a mission. To encourage support of the Centre.”

“I will take the initiative for leading peacebuilding among diverse groups for both humanizing people who are considered “other” and chipping away at walls that divide.”

Below are photos capturing experiential learning experiences from a January program from Mid-Hudson Classis, NY, USA.