BibleLands appoints first Middle East Christians to its board

06 February 2012

Two Middle East Christians have been appointed trustees of the development charity BibleLands, serving vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the Middle East – a first in its 158-year history. Mariam Tadros, a Coptic Christian of Egyptian origin, and Tanas Alqassis from Palestine, joined the board in February 2012.

Mariam Tadros works for the development charity Tearfund, on its West Africa desk. Mariam has an MA in Pastoral Theology and a BA in Theology and Religious Studies from St Mary’s University College. She has spent significant time in both Egypt and the Holy Land and is a speaker for the Living Stones and Friends of Sabeel UK on issues concerning the Middle East. She speaks almost fluent Arabic. She is an active member of the UK Coptic Orthodox Church.

Tanas Alqassis is Regional Manager for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa at CMS, the Church Mission Society, based in Oxford. Prior to CMS, Tanas worked for Musalaha (a BibleLands partner), the Holy Land Trust and World Vision in their Romania and Jerusalem operations. He has sat on various boards over the past 20 years and is well travelled in the Middle East, as well as leading a yearly education tour to Israel/Palestine. Tanas has a Master’s degree in Leadership from Vision International University in the United States, and also a BA in Accounting from Bob Jones University in South Carolina. His family comes originally from Beit Sahour near Bethlehem.

Welcoming the appointments, the BibleLands chair of trustees, Hugh Bradley, said:

“This is a very exciting development. For the first time in our 158-year history, BibleLands will have on its governing body representatives of the communities with which we work in the Middle East. Our partnership with local Christians in the region, as they help the most vulnerable and disadvantaged of all faiths, will benefit enormously from the input of Mariam and Tanas. I am pleased to welcome them to the board.”

For further information contact Jeremy Moodey, Chief Executive, on 01494 897950 or 07712 777371. BibleLands’ media adviser is John Martin, contactable on 020 8810 5618 or 07867 695366.

Notes for Editors
BibleLands is a non-governmental, inter-denominational charity supporting humanitarian projects in the Middle East. For almost 160 years it has been working to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people, and it has extensive experience and expertise in this region. BibleLands supports over 50 partner organisations in Egypt, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine which are Christian-led but who provide care for all those in need, regardless of faith or nationality. For further information about BibleLands browse our website.