Projects > Abraham
Path
Project Director: William Ury
The purpose of the Abraham
Path is to open up a route in the Middle East retracing
the footsteps of Abraham. As the father of monotheism
and the physical or spiritual forefather of Jews, Christians,
and Muslims, Abraham is the unifying point for over
three billion people who consider themselves part of
the family of Abraham. The Abraham Path will serve
to underscore and disseminate Abraham’s universal
messages of oneness, faith, justice, peace, and hospitality
toward all.
Against a backdrop of conflict in the Middle
East that has become a global symbol of intractable strife
and despair, the Path and its televised images of imams,
priests, and rabbis walking alongside one another will
help inspire the imagination of millions around the planet
with new possibilities for mutual respect. Parallel events
will be organized in communities around the world in
the form of local "Abraham Walks" from churches
to mosques to synagogues, shared religious services and
festivals, and educational events on religious coexistence.
Beyond the personal significance of traveling
the Abraham Path for the travelers and those whose lives
they touch, the Abraham Path could have many concrete
benefits for the peoples of the Middle East, indeed of
the entire world:
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Economic: creating thousands of jobs
by building infrastructure such as trails, hotels,
restaurants, and providing guide services.
-
People-to-people: fostering understanding
between the Islamic world and the West through thousands
of respectful visits
-
Religious/cultural: restoring dozens
of sacred sites along the route.
-
Educational: promoting religious and
cultural understanding through the media, the arts,
and personal meetings
-
Environmental: environmental preservation
along the route, such as cleaning up the Euphrates
corridor.
-
Youth: providing a focal point for
the idealism, energy, and adventurous spirit of young
people from around the world.
A study of the Abraham Path has been conducted
for the past eighteen months at Harvard University. A
consultation process intended to elicit the views and
support of religious, political, and community leaders
in the region and around the world is underway. This
website is intended to inform and connect interested
individuals and organizations. A guidebook to the Abraham
Path is in the process of being written and the first
journey from Harran to al-Khalil/Hebron, to be undertaken
by a small consultative delegation, is being planned
for October-November 2006. Our aim is to have the Abraham
Path open for interested pilgrims and tourists within
five years or less.
Initial project support and funding has
come from foundations and individuals in Brazil, Italy,
Syria, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Pakistan, and the United
States. Affirmations of interest in the Project have
come from, among others, Nobel Peace Prize winners Jimmy
Carter and the Dalai Lama.
To Get Involved
If you would like to become involved or
to contribute to the Abraham Path Initiative, please
contact us at info@abrahampath.org.
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