Talking to one another instead of about one another - Interreligious Dialogue between Church and Mosque We live in a very polarized world in which racism and controversy is increasing. All over the world there are very obvious examples of the separation of people of different cultural heritage, beliefs, religion and social status. Even if we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th; The wall between Mexico and the USA is being built. Instead of uniting peoples, we see more and more projects that aim to divide people. This is a very frightening development in our world today. Something needs to be done here! Who should do something about it? Anyone! You and me. There is a saying among the Xhosa of South Africa that goes: "Many little people in many little places doing many little things can change the face of the world." Xhosa Proverb The need for more encounters and dialogue between peoples of different beliefs is more obvious today than ever. Spaces for dialogue between peoples with different cultural heritage and religions must and can be created. The interreligious dialogue is an opportunity to increase acceptance and tolerance for the other and to learn from and with one another. The interreligious dialogue is a necessary instrument for mutual coexistence between people with different religious backgrounds. It offers those involved space to network for a better coexistence. Based on the interreligious dialogue, our two denominations, the Muslim Family Association Masjid Rahma eV and the African Christian Church, have decided to become specific and active and to organize an event that our future leaders will engage in an interreligious dialogue for a better tomorrow in our congregation in Hamburg Center and around the world. Both religious communities have been working together in St. Georg in interreligious dialogue since 2012. In the following years we undertook three interreligious learning trips, two of which were in Berlin and one in Ghana - together with the Mission Academy. In order to further strengthen our cooperation, we have decided to organize an interfaith trip to Croatia. Under the motto: "With each other instead of talking about each other - interreligious dialogue between church and mosque" we undertook such an interreligious trip during the autumn break. A total of 28 people, 25 young adults and 3 supervisors took part in the bus trip from Sunday, October 13th to Saturday, October 19th. The aim of this youth trip was among other things: A) Expansion of the already existing interreligious dialogue between young people of both faith communities. B) To get to know and appreciate each other. C) To face their individual prejudices against the other religion. D) Improving Christian-Muslim dialogue. E) Promotion of peaceful coexistence among young people and dissemination of the skills acquired upon return to Hamburg. While in Croatia we had time to interact with each other and visited religious places like the church in Porec and the mosque as well as the Islamic center in Rijeka. In the church we had a very interesting discussion about the different denominations in Christianity and in the mosque we heard presentations from three Muslim youths about Islam and women. All of these conversations took place in a very respectful and calm atmosphere. The youth were very keen to learn about the other religion and many questions were asked. We also had time for sightseeing. On the last day of our trip we visited the famous Postojnska cave in Slovenia. We were taken on a tour by a guide who was enthusiastic about telling us some key facts about the cave. There we could experience the miracles of God's creation. The long journey by bus to Croatia, the time together, our seminars and presentations and the friendly atmosphere gave us a shared experience that we will never forget. Friendships were forged, respect and tolerance were promoted among the youth, and they were encouraged to return to become active members of society as a whole. It was a milestone in our interreligious cooperation that will help us decisively to build bridges instead of walls. All of these experiences would not have been possible without the financial support of many partners. That is why we would like to express our thanks and appreciation to our sponsors, which include Democracy Life in St. Georg, the Church of St. George and the Center for Mission and Ecumenism.
