Interreligious Dialogue for Reconciliation

The peaceful coexistence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Bosnia-Herzegovina has not been a simple matter in the aftermath of the war in the 1990s. Today, however, there are several interreligious dialogue initiatives, many sponsored from abroad. Mirjana Dikic reports

More than ten years after the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, tensions still prevail among the adherents of the different religious communities. The atrocities and massacres have not been forgotten and some displaced persons have yet to return home.

Many Bosnians, however, express the will to live peacefully together in the future. The leaders of the religious communities, in particular, regard interreligious dialogue as the path to reconciliation.

Institutionalized dialogue

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, for example, supports projects in Sarajevo that promote interreligious dialogue. One large project that is unique in Europe is the recently established Institute for Interreligious Dialogue. It offers a framework for the members of different faiths to exchange views and learn about each other's religions.

Clearly, the main difficulty is that the different religious communities and churches do not see each other eye to eye, says Christina Krause, Director of the Sarajevo Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. According to Krause, many deep-seated injuries and myths arose both before and after the war, which eventually led to the separation of the religious communities.

In order for external rapprochement efforts to succeed, it is necessary to find some link to what existed in Bosnia-Herzegovina before the war, asserts Pastor Christoph Ziemer, who has worked for many years on such projects.

"Each to their own beliefs"

"There is a tradition of mutual respect of religions in Bosnia," relates Zimmer, "and this is reflected in two old Bosnian sayings. One goes "each to their own law," which means that everyone follows their own beliefs and religious precepts. And the other expression is "whoever does not respect the beliefs of another does not respect his own either."

Another approach to finding a way to peace is to speak about what happened between Bosnia's peoples – to discuss the war and violence.

This requires that an atmosphere of trust be established. Pastor Ziemer, who actively promoted reunification in the former East Germany, talks about the past in Germany and what it means to admit one's own guilt and to continue with life after the crimes.

Mato Zovkic, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Sarajevo, is also of the opinion that becoming familiar with each other's religion and traditions can create trust. With this goal in mind, the so-called Council for Interreligious Dialogue was founded in Bosnia ten years ago. Its members include the religious leaders of all denominations in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"When I don't know someone, then this stranger, who is different from me, might pose a danger," says Zovkic. "Of course, we have lived together in Bosnia for hundreds of years and everyone knows what the neighbor celebrates – Christmas or Muslim festivals – but it is necessary to know more about each other's beliefs, traditions, and spirituality."

An education of tolerance for the young

The dialogue takes place in specific areas where different communities live together. The main thing here is to promote communication between neighbors who share a common everyday life.

In addition, the Interreligious Council works with young people. Last June, a summer camp was organized for 40 children between the ages of 8 and 14 with ten children from each of the religious communities. They spent a week with each other talking about the religious practices of their respective communities.

"Religion teachers from each community were present and explained to the others about Catholic, Muslim, or Jewish customs," reports Zovkic. "This is a very good initiative of interreligious cooperation among young people. After the war and the so-called ethnic cleansing, it is important that young people meet, get acquainted, and forge friendships."

Mirjana Dikic

Translated from the German by John Bergeron

Qantara.de

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