Conversation: Palestinian Christians & contemporary human rights challenges

Sahar Francis and Revd Ashraf Tannous are touring the UK for a week of political, religious and cultural events focusing on the deteriorating situation in Palestine, the human rights challenges, and the existential threat facing the small but significantly influential Palestinian Christian community.

Professor Esra Özyürek (Sultan Qaboos Professor of Abrahamic Faiths & Shared Values, and Academic Director of the Cambridge Interfaith Programme) hosts them for an in-depth conversation, in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for Palestine Studies. CCPS Academic Director Professor Stefan Sperl will also join as a discussant. 

About the visitors

Reverend Ashraf Tannous was born in Jerusalem and raised in Ramallah. He did his undergraduate studies at the Near Eastern School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon, then went into seminary at the Bossey Seminary in Geneva, Switzerland. He was ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) in 2012 and was first called as an associate pastor in Jerusalem. Since then, Reverend Ashraf has served congregations in Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, and since June 2025 he has been installed at Christmas Lutheran church in Bethlehem.

For nine years, Reverend Ashraf led the Youth work in ELCJHL until 2021. He now serves as the Chief Justice in the Ecclesiastic Court. Reverend Ashraf lives with his wife and three boys in Jerusalem. In his (spare!) time he is working toward a Doctorate of Ministry from the United Lutheran Seminary of Philadelphia, PA, which he hopes to complete in 2026.

Sahar Francis is a human rights lawyer with 27 years of experience as a Palestinian Human Rights Defender. This has included counselling and representing Palestinian prisoners and advising organisations on legal issues. Sahar earned her law degree from the University of Haifa in the 1990s and has sought tirelessly to expose Israel’s human rights abuses in the occupation ever since. She is a renowned expert on human rights, having addressed both the European Parliament and recently the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Sahar has been active for many years in civil society networks such as PNGO (Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations) and PHROC (Palestinian human rights organizations council) and is currently an active member of the Palestinian Christian Kairos Palestine.

About this event

This event has been organised in partnership with the Cambridge Centre for Palestine Studies.

For more information about CCPS, its work and events, please visit ccps21.org where it is also possible to subscribe to a dedicated mailing list. Please see that website for any relevant privacy and data policies.

Practicalities

Due to works adjacent to the Faculty of Divinity, building access is currently via an uneven footpath. We therefore suggest that non-University guests audit this event via Zoom rather than joining us on site in Cambridge.

We ask that anyone seeking to attend registers in advance, using the link provided below. Registration is managed by the Cambridge Interfaith Programme.