Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (FRRME)?

We are a non profit organization that promotes and develops conflict resolution and reconciliation in the Middle East, by working with the top religious and political leaders from the Middle East, the United States, and Europe and by providing humanitarian relief and economic rejuvenation in areas of conflict and poverty.

How long have you been working in the Middle East?

We have staff with over 20 years of experience in the Middle East under various institutions including the International Centre for Reconciliation based out of Coventry Cathedral.

What is your goal in Israel and Palestine?

We are involved in various political initiatives and economic projects across the region. In particular, the foundation works towards the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by servicing and supporting the Alexandria Process, which, following the signing of the Alexandria Declaration by the Religious Leaders in the Holy Land in January 2002 has become the religious track of the Middle East Peace Process.

In addition to engaging religious leaders in a political solution to the conflict, we also help on a more basic level. We seek to connect and educate the West about the suffering caused by the conflict while simultaneously easing the suffering of the people by initiating economic rejuvenation and relief projects in various areas in Gaza and the Bethlehem district in the West Bank.

And what do you do in Iraq?

We facilitate the work of the Iraqi Institute for Peace, which was founded as a result of the 2004 Baghdad Religious Accord, in order to initiate and sustain regular dialogue between key Sunni and Shia religious leaders in Iraq and help them work together for peace.

As Vicar of Baghdad, Andrew White and the FRRME provide spiritual comfort and guidance for troops in the International Zone and St. George’s Church, Baghdad an all Iraqi congregation of over 900 people. The needs of St. George’s are extensive and we provide the support needed to protect and run the church.

Isn’t diplomacy the job of the government leaders?

These leaders lean on us for insights and relationships because of our credibility and vast experience in the region which often predates their own involvement.  Further, we pioneer grass-roots projects that reduce violence and incitement to violence, as well as supporting the process of social and economic regeneration with engagement with religious, political and tribal leaders.

And you do relief work as well?

We recognize that impoverished societies often become places for religious incitement and hatred. In addition, relief work gives added credibility to our role in diplomacy, while meeting the desperate needs of the people of war-torn regions. Working in partnership with local community leadership we seek to prevent the growth of religious fundamentalism while connecting the international community with local needs to provide a pathway for economic rejuvenation and restoration of livelihoods destroyed by conflict.

Specifically, what are your diplomatic and relief initiatives and what do they cost?

The breakdown of how much our work over the coming year will cost is as follows: FRRME Diplomatic Work $741,000; Israel-Palestine and Iraq Relief, $866,000; and Iraqi President’s Inter Religious Council $1,295,000; for a total need of $2,902,000 this year.

Shouldn’t the US, UK, or Iraq pay for some of this?

The British Government did fund all of our work in Iraq after the war for 18 months, this was the agreement and then it stopped. Likewise they did provide initial funding for the Israel work but it stopped at the time they said it would stop. The United States Institute of Peace has been supporting reconciliation work in Gaza for the past 12 months but the needs continue to be greater than the funding provided. Both expected other countries to help pay these costs after an initial period but they have not.

Will you get any more government funding?

The initial funding for the Iraqi Inter Religious Congress has been paid by the US Department of Defense.  Follow up funding is being provided by the US Department of Defense for immediate post-conference work but for a truly effective process, a multi-year continuation of this initiative is essential to build it into a process. To this end, the US Government has expressed interest but no funds have been committed.

Isn’t Canon Andrew White the Special Envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury?

For eight years he was the Special Envoy to the Middle East for the Church but left the role because his term as holder of the office had reached its maximum limit. Each person holds the position for 5 years, and Andrew was asked to stay for an additional three years. To this day, however, no one with this level of Middle East relationships has been found to assume the position, and so it remains vacant.

Why doesn’t the Archbishop pay for your work?

The Special Envoy has always raised his own support, so leaving the position with the Church did not change the funding needs for Canon Andrew White’s work.

Is Special Envoy the same position that was held by Terry Waite?

Yes, he was in the same role during the 1980s, to negotiate freedom of the hostages in Iran and Libya.  He was kidnapped in Beirut in 1987 and held as a hostage himself for five years, most of it in solitary confinement.

Are Canon Andrew White and your staff in the same danger?

Yes, this work is extremely dangerous and we have counted the risks.  Especially in Baghdad, the cost of private security is a significant portion of our budget. We do, however, believe we must be as radical in the pursuit of peace as others are in waging war and that inevitably entails an element of risk.

With the risks to all, will church and government leaders work for peace?

Continuing instability can erode the trust between different communities, which in turn can undermine the relationships between the more moderate voices.  In this environment extremist movements grow rapidly, and it becomes more dangerous for people to be seen to be involved with interfaith activity.  This is especially true in Iraq, where assassination and kidnappings are a further deterrent to people without special protection participating in interfaith meetings. The FRRME is unique in that it has formed long-standing trust and relationships in which these people will risk the danger to meet if the funding and support is found.

Why will the fighting factions listen to you?

There is a clear need for initiatives that build confidence between communities in order to develop some level of stability, and a role for highly skilled and dedicated foreign partners who have high credibility and trust with all parties within the region.  Their independence from the conflict is crucial, as is the need to show unbiased treatment of the various groups.  These intermediaries are by their very nature extremely rare.

How do you do what you do?

We take a two-pronged approach to peace making. First, engagement with key religious leaders will be ongoing in order to address critical questions that affect not only the region, but growing global religious tensions.  Second, critically overlooked conditions on the ground will be brought to the international community’s attention. This will include partnering with local organizations which have a proven track record of reconciliation in their community.

Why do they look to Cannon White for leadership?

Inter-religious engagement is led by Canon Andrew White who has a wide array of experience in conflict mediation in the Middle East. He has been able to gain trust of key religious leaders on both sides in various conflict areas. In places of religious tension a mediator becomes an indispensable asset. When enemies have cut off all interaction with each other, the role of the intermediary becomes the only possible path forward.

Can’t you do this from a distance so it is not so dangerous?

In conflict areas of the Middle East, a presence on the ground is a necessary component to engagement at a top level. We have staff on the ground in various locations across the Middle East in order to receive local insight, perspective and, most vitally, first-hand knowledge of local tensions and needs. In order to prevent the growth of religious fundamentalist influence the FRRME seeks to function as a mediating body between local needs and international religious communities in order to provide a way for outsiders to show solidarity for regions that are socially and economically in risk of crisis.

Who are your partners?

Our major international partners include the Foreign Commonwealth Office of the British Government, the US Department of State, the US Department of Defense, the United States Institute of Peace, the World Economic Forum, and the Clinton Global Initiative.  We further partner with top peace and reconciliation centres around the world including Mosaica and the Adam Centre in Israel, the Adam Centre in Gaza, the Iraqi Institute of Peace in Baghdad, the Tanenbaum Center in New York, and many other organizations.

It is not in the gift of facilitators as independent agents - to determine or push for a particular solution to a problem, as this would seriously undermine their integrity and credibility, and thus limit their effectiveness in the region. The FRRME recognizes that, due to the nature of the Middle East, a holistic approach incorporating political and religious elements is essential for lasting peace. Building lasting relationships is the key to building a foundation for action. Therefore, if part of the problem is religion, there also must lay the solution.

What are your measures of success?

Given the ongoing nature of this process, it is difficult to measure the immediate short-term results of this work.  Reconciliation is a long-term exercise, which can only be achieved through the courageous and costly perseverance of all those involved.  The role of the Reconciler is to create an environment in which all sides feel both able and willing to participate.  The ultimate goal of establishing lasting peace settlements can therefore only ever be obtained with this foundation stone securely in place.

What are your criteria to measure progress as you move forward?

Results will not be quickly achieved nor easily measured.  However, it is possible to use a number of criteria to judge whether the work is making progress and positively impacting the region:

Do all parties respond positively to a request from the facilitator to meet?

Is there an agreed method or set ways of working to which all are committed?

Is there a common agenda that sets out the work plan of the group that is being formed?

Is there a specific mechanism that exists to deal with crises requiring conflict resolution?

Does the group focus on issues that it alone can uniquely deal with?

Does the work of the group enable people to meet who would not normally meet?

Do their corresponding communities know about the work of the group?

What happens if you can’t raise the money you need?

The cost of failure is beyond comprehension because these conflicts impact the future of the entire world.  Thus, we must persevere with this work that lives out the grace and love of Jesus.