Bishop Darwish and Dr. Sarghani Visit ICGER, Discuss Collaboration Opportunities with Dr. Youssef
On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, Bishop Issam John Darwish, the former Archbishop of Forzol, Zahle, and the Bekaa for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, visited ICGER in downtown Beirut, accompanied by Dr. Elie Sarghani, President of the Eastern Club for Civilizations Dialogue.
Farah Nassif, ICGER’s Executive Director, greeted the visitors and guided them on a tour of the center, introducing them to department heads, geopolitical program coordinators, and research staff.
Bishop Darwish and Dr. Sarghani then met with Dr. Mohammad Walid Youssef, the founder and president of ICGER. He welcomed them and outlined his intellectual framework in political science, as well as the center’s mission, methodology, and key research projects focused on Islamic political and intellectual history.
Dr. Youssef conveyed the center’s willingness to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and pursue joint initiatives with both guests. Bishop Darwish, in turn, praised ICGER’s work and Dr. Youssef’s ideas, emphasizing the significance of such intellectual efforts in shaping important discussions across Eastern societies.
At the conclusion of the visit, Bishop Darwish graciously presented his publication titled “My Calling Remains a Secret” to Dr. Youssef. In response, Dr. Youssef kindly offered copies of his scholarly works, “Politics: The Newtonian Rules and Quantum Principles” and “Ashʿarites, Society, and the State,” to Bishop Darwish and Dr. Sarghani.
