With the “Wedding Network for Intercultural Dialogue,” we brought mosques, churches, and migrant associations in Berlin’s Wedding district around one table in 2016 and 2017. The focus was on issues of everyday coexistence in the district – and on the role of religion in society.
2016: The way to culture is through the stomach
From September to November 2016, we hosted a networking meeting every month. Our partners were Alkawakibi e.V., the Arresalah Mosque, and our sister organization NARUD e.V. Organizations and active members of mosques, churches, and migrant associations shared their experiences there. The motto: “The way to culture is through the stomach.”
The program also included the discussion group “Fleeing Across the Mediterranean” and the symposium “Democracy and Stability in Africa” on November 5, 2016 (more on this under BurkinAfrique). It concluded with a Welcome Day together with Wir Gestalten e.V.
Our goals
- to provide information on the state of interfaith understanding in Wedding
- to connect social, neighborhood, and religious institutions with migrant associations and strengthen their cooperation
- to think together about how an interfaith and intercultural network could be created
- to promote coexistence and appreciation of diversity in Wedding
2017: Three panels on religion
The project continued from May to December 2017. Now the focus was on the role of religion in society – and on what helps counter religious tensions, prejudice, discrimination, and extremism. To explore these questions, we hosted three panel discussions:
- October 3, 2017 The role and function of religion and religious institutions in today’s society Open Mosque Day at the Arresalah Mosque, around 50 guests
- October 27, 2017 “Religious and Ethnic Prejudice Within the Migrant Community” Haus der Jugend youth center, around 30 guests
- November 17, 2017 “Religious Extremism and the Exploitation of Religious Tensions in Europe” Haus der Jugend youth center, around 20 guests
Open Mosque Day was a fixed date in our calendar: in 2016, we had already organized an event with partners on that day for the fourth time.
The year ended on December 9, 2017, with a networking meeting at the SprengelHaus, held together with NARUD e.V.
Who took part
The panelists included representatives of these organizations, among others:
- Inssan e.V.
- Alkawakibi e.V.
- Protestant Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
- ForumDialog/House of One
- Alevi Community of Berlin
- Bürgerplattform Wedding/Moabit
- EPIZ Berlin
- ReachOut
More about our dialogue work
A related project from the same period is “Coming Together Through Dialogue”. The section Interfaith and intercultural dialogue gives an overview.
The 2017 panel series was funded through the partnership for democracy “Demokratie in der Mitte” in Berlin’s Mitte district.
